Hope College and Career Readiness Academy

In 2009, Phoenix was ranked No. 1 for the number of youth that were not employed or attending school. Currently, one in five youth in the Phoenix Metropolitan area is considered disconnected. In the South Phoenix area, that number is higher with a rate of one in three. The focal point of the design of Hope College is to serve the needs of “disconnected Youth”, ages 16 to 24 located within South Phoenix. Hope College’s mission to give students a pathway to college and vocational training, connecting them to a post secondary education environment, being located on the South Mountain Community College campus. The 55,000 sq. ft. school has 20-30 classrooms, 30-40 full-time employees and serves about 800 students. Onsite preschool, science labs, full sized gym and large CTE Classroom Lab Space, the campus acts as a full secondary education school. Offerings of hope include, dual enrollment, vocational school development, pathway to community college courses, a GED program, all done under the implementation of the ‘Big Picture Learning’ model as well as the shared belief system of Kids at Hope. Hope College and Career Readiness Academy is a collaboration with MCRSD and South Mountain Community College (SMCC) to provide educational services and establish a school on campus that will address a growing epidemic. The design assists in hope’s mission, giving students the spaces they need along their path to college and vocational training.