Mission

The mission of AVID® is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. The AVID College and Career Readiness System is designed to increase schoolwide learning and performance for students in grades K–16. AVID comes from the Latin root avidus, meaning “eager for knowledge.” A well-developed AVID system restructures the teaching methods of an entire school and opens access to rigorous curricula, raising advanced-level course enrollments and increasing the number of students attending college.

History

In 1980, Mary Catherine Swanson, then English Department chair at San Diego’s Clairemont High School, developed AVID to address the significant needs that she observed at her school. Court-ordered integration in 1980 transformed the student body of Clairemont, which had served an affluent, homogeneous population. Busing brought to the school hundreds of disadvantaged students who had no experience in the traditional college preparatory programs that were Clairemont’s strength. Ms. Swanson devised AVID to help these students succeed in a rigorous program and prepare for college.

The following schools in the WSD are successfully implementing AVID: 

• Wenatchee High School AVID® page
• Foothills Middle School
• Orchard Middle School
• Pioneer Middle School
• Wenatchee Internet Academy K-8

For more information, visit https://www.avid.org/