We Measure What Others Will Not

Graduation rates are a starting point. Colorado UpLift tracks the behavioral and relational outcomes that actually predict whether a young person will thrive, in school, in relationships, in community, and in life. Every number below is third-party validated.

Third-Party Evaluator

Excellence in Giving

Thriving Youth Scorecard

Research Partner

Search Institute

60+ Years of Youth Development Research

By the Numbers

The Results After 40 Years of Showing Up

90%

High School Graduation Rate

vs. 72% citywide average

86%

Enroll in College or Career Programs

after high school

261%

Increase in Peer-Elected Student Leaders

the most ownable stat in youth development

Increase in Students With a Supportive Adult at School

doubles the national average after 3 semesters

41%

Increase in Students Who End Unhealthy Relationships

linked to lower depression, anxiety, and substance abuse

40%

Increase in Students Who Serve Their Community

more than double the national volunteering average for youth

Data sourced from before-and-after surveys administered by Excellence in Giving and the Search Institute. All outcomes measured after three or more semesters in the UpLift program.

The Gap We Walk Into

In the schools and neighborhoods where UpLift works, the data on what students face before they meet a Teacher/Mentor is stark. These are not abstract statistics. They are the conditions inside the lives of the 4,000+ students we serve each year.

47% do not live with their biological father
26% missed school at least once in the past month because they felt unsafe
61% of students moved homes in the last 12 months
Fewer than 1 in 3 students in grades 6-12 feel their teachers genuinely care about them
Nearly 1 in 3 Colorado teens report persistent sadness or hopelessness

What Changes After UpLift

These are not soft outcomes. They are behavioral and relational shifts that research links directly to graduation rates, mental health, employment, and lifetime earnings. They are also the outcomes that most youth organizations do not track, because tracking them is harder than counting diplomas.

Students who feel they have a supportive adult at school: 33% before UpLift, 66% after, doubling the national average
Students who think about their future when making decisions: 62% before, 73% after, a 19% increase
Students who ask others for forgiveness: 55% before, 69% after, a 24% increase linked to lower depression and higher life satisfaction
Students elected by peers to lead: 14% before, 57% after, a 261% increase
Students who serve their community regularly: 47% after UpLift vs. 23% national average for youth

The Ripple Effect

One Student. Twelve Lives Changed.

UpLift students do not just graduate. They lead. On average, each student in a leadership role influences 12 people around them, peers, siblings, neighbors, and classmates who never set foot in an UpLift classroom. This is the multiplier that makes every gift larger than it looks on paper.

UpLift
Student

Peer
Influenced

Youth who volunteer are 19% more likely to graduate from college and have 27% higher odds of employment. Youth in leadership roles show increased self-esteem, communication skills, and career earnings, up to 33% more after graduation. When you invest in one student, you are investing in the community around them.

Sources: AmeriCorps Volunteering and Civic Life in America report; Harvard Business Review 2017; National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability 2005

What the Data Looks Like in a Person

"My Entire Life Changed for the Price of a Cup of Coffee."

- Monique Jose, UpLift Alumni, Business Owner and Community Leader

Monique Jose grew up in a world shaped by gangs, drugs, violence, and poverty. By the time she reached Lincoln High School, she had been in and out of juvenile detention. She had no reason to trust adults. No one had ever shown up.

Then her UpLift Teacher/Mentor, Joe, said he would meet her at the coffee shop across the street from school. She had no intention of going. She hid behind a hill and watched to see if he would actually be there.

He was.

That single act of showing up started a relationship that redirected the entire trajectory of her life. Today, Monique is a successful business owner and a community leader. She is one of thousands of UpLift alumni who have gone on to become educators, entrepreneurs, parents, and changemakers, people who are actively breaking the generational cycles they grew up inside.

"My journey is a testament to the power of one mentor showing up and helping me break the chains of generational trauma."

Alumni Voice

From Colorado School of Mines. From UpLift.

Estevan Gonzalez graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a degree in mechanical engineering and a focus in aerospace. He was the first in his family to reach that finish line.

He met his UpLift Teacher/Mentor in middle school. Over the years that followed, through high school, college applications, and moments when doors needed to be opened, UpLift was there.

"UpLift has been one of the best mentorship programs I have ever been a part of. They really just wanted people like me to succeed. I know that they would be there for anything."

To the donors who made it possible, Estevan's message is simple: "Thank you for believing in the mission. Nothing would be possible without your generosity. I hope to one day repay the favor and keep this mission alive for future generations."

How We Measure

We Track What Actually Predicts Thriving

Most youth organizations measure outputs: how many students attended, how many meals were served, how many diplomas were handed out. Outputs matter. But they do not tell you whether a young person is actually equipped to navigate adulthood.

Colorado UpLift measures outcomes across four domains: Education, Community, Character, and Social-Emotional Health. Our before-and-after surveys are administered at multiple points in a student's program journey and evaluated by third-party researchers. The result is a dataset that tracks not just what students do, but who they are becoming.

This is what it means to measure what others will not.

Before and After Surveys

Administered at first semester enrollment and again after three or more semesters. Tracks changes in behavior, relationships, and self-perception.

Third-Party Validation

Excellence in Giving's Thriving Youth Scorecard and the Search Institute provide independent analysis that meets philanthropic due diligence standards.

Colorado UpLift is a National Quality Mentoring System (NQMS) Gold Partner for 2025-2028, recognized for meeting the highest standards of evidence-based mentoring practice.

Read the Full 2024 Impact Report

Every stat on this page is documented in our annual evaluation. Download the full report to see the complete data, methodology, and student stories behind the numbers.