A+ Schools Program
What is the A+ Schools Program?
The A+ Schools Program was established as part of the Missouri Outstanding Schools Act of 1993. The purpose of the program is to provide incentives for local high schools to raise academic expectations, reduce their drop out rate, establish relationships with the business community, and provide a better "career pathways" to their students.
Goals of the A+ Schools Program
- All students will graduate from high school.
- All students complete selection of high school studies that is challenging and for which there are identified learning expectations.
- All students proceed from high school graduation to a college or post-secondary vocational or technical school or high wage job with work place skill development opportunities.
Student Eligibility
- 2012 or 2013 Graduate
- Sign an A+ Student Agreement.
- Attend Diamond High School for three years prior to graduation.
- Maintain a 2.5 or higher GPA.
- Maintain a 95% attendance record in a four-year period.
- Perform 50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring of other students on Diamond school grounds.
- Maintain a record of good citizenship and avoidance of the unlawful use of drugs and/or alcohol.
- Make a good faith effort to first secure all available federal post secondary student financial assistance.
- Male students need to sign up for Selective Services if 18 years old.
Benefits of the A+ Schools Program for Students
The program entitles our graduates who have met all requirements to receive reimbursement for tuition, books, and fees to any Missouri public community college, vocational or technical school for two years (six college semesters) or the completion of one certificate program through a vocational/technical school. The tuition incentives will only be made available to reimburse the unpaid balance of the cost of tuition and fees after available federal post-secondary student financial assistance funds including scholarships have been applied to those costs.
The tuition is for two years. To be eligible to receive the tuition incentive, the recipient must:
- Be considered full-time student by the institution;
- Be a US Citizen; and
- Complete the two years of full-time enrollment at a community college or a public vocational/technical school within four years after graduation.
Students will be eligible to receive the above incentive for two years if they maintain a 2.5 or higher GPA in the post-secondary setting.
Please contact Cynthia Sprague, A+ Coordinator, at csprague@diamondwildcats.org or 417-325-5188, if you have questions or would like to enroll in the program.
**Regulations and reimbursement money are subject to the General Assembly of Missouri can be amended without notice. Reimbursement is not the funding responsibility of the Diamond R-IV School District.
