Title
Phoenix Public Library's College Depot: Gateway to GRIT - Citywide
Description
This report provides the Community Services and Education Subcommittee with an overview of Phoenix Public Library's Gateway to Graduating Ready Independent & Tenacious (GRIT) program. The program offers comprehensive support to prepare high school juniors for postsecondary education.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
GRIT was launched by College Depot at Phoenix Public Library during the COVID pandemic to assist high school seniors in completing the critical milestones required to maximize their eligibility for financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
This year, College Depot is expanding GRIT to initiate the college-planning process earlier. Gateway to GRIT is a strategic initiative designed to support high school juniors as they begin their college admissions and scholarship preparation. The program provides comprehensive services including workshops, individualized appointments, essay reviews, ACT preparation, scholarship searches and resume development. The purpose is to strengthen participants' readiness for postsecondary education and long-term academic success.
College Depot Key Highlights
- Engagement: Over 28,000 visits recorded last fiscal year, with more than 1,300 one-on-one appointments, and over 10,000 students and families served through the program.
- Academic Impact: 76 percent of participants later enrolled in college, and 62.5 percent were identified as first-generation students.
- Support for Undeserved: 95 percent of student participants received free or reduced-priced lunch, demonstrating strong outreach to economically disadvantaged populations.
- Comprehensive Services: The program includes ACT and SAT preparation, scholarship search assistance, college-preparation workshops and hands-on labs. Services focus on initiating college-readiness activities earlier and increasing exposure to the admissions criteria of highly selective institutions.
Gateway to GRIT demonstrates a strong commitment to educational equity, college access and workforce readiness for Phoenix students. The program's data-driven approach and robust service model provides a consistent, structured framework for delivering community-based academic and career-readiness support.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the Library Department.