With perspective from Natalie Nieubuurt, AVID District Director, Salem-Keizer Public Schools (OR)

Salem‑Keizer Public Schools built one of the strongest AVID pipelines in the nation despite having one of Oregon’s most complex feeder systems. Their results are clear: 

• Middle school AVID retention: 84.52% (nearly double the national average)

• High school persistence to year three: 73.01% (more than triple national averages)

• 12% of high schoolers and 15% of middle schoolers enrolled in the AVID Elective 

They did it by creating a recruitment and retention system grounded in simple, replicable practices that any district can adopt: 

• Recruit at events families already attend so that AVID finds them, not the other way around.

• Plan recruitment as a unified feeder network, not as isolated schools.

• Use comprehensive student data to reveal potential, not create barriers.

• Invite prospective students into real AVID classrooms.

• Make the transition from middle to high school AVID intentional and student-centered.

• Align all recruitment windows with the district’s operational calendar.

• Use one consistent application and interview process across all schools. 

These shared practices created a coherent AVID pathway that students stay in—and succeed in—year after year. 

Meeting Families Where They Are 

Rather than expecting families to find AVID, Salem‑Keizer makes sure that AVID finds them. 

Every spring, families of incoming sixth graders attend evening welcome events at their middle schools. AVID Site Coordinators set up dedicated tables where families can explore the program, talk directly with the AVID team, complete an application on the spot, and even participate in same‑evening interviews if they choose. 

This simple shift, embedding AVID into events that families already attend, reduces logistical hurdles and normalizes access to information. And because feeder schools plan these efforts as a coordinated network, each team knows exactly when and how families will learn about the AVID Elective, ensuring clear communication and multiple, accessible entry points across the system.

Creating Cross-School Experiences That Build Belonging 

Shared recruitment moments help students imagine themselves in AVID before they enroll. 

At McKay High School, Stephens Middle School, and Waldo Middle School, AVID Site Coordinators collaborate to host a Senior Panel and Shadow Day for eighth‑grade students. 

The Senior Panel lets middle schoolers hear directly from AVID seniors about their experiences and successes. The Shadow Day invites them into classrooms and hallways to meet teachers and see high school life before their first day. 

These coordinated experiences reduce anxiety, strengthen alignment across campuses, and reinforce a powerful message: You already belong here. 

Natalie Nieubuurt, AVID District Director and AVID College and Career Readiness Program Associate, emphasizes that Salem‑Keizer also keeps the process unified. All students complete the same application and interview, and schools use data to determine whether the AVID Elective or AVID Excel® best supports each student’s needs. 

The unified process holds the system together, while school-level flexibility gives each AVID team space to express their identity. 

“Each school has its own culture, and we encourage AVID teams to lean into that identity,” says Nieubuurt. Some schools host student‑led panels, and others design recruitment lessons with relational capacity activities or multilingual communication strategies. Alignment sets the foundation; local creativity builds connection. 

Using Data With Purpose 

While practices drive the system, data sharpens its focus. 

“We ground AVID recruitment and selection in a broad set of student data used to identify potential and inform support, not to gatekeep access,” Nieubuurt explains. 

Each year, the district prepares a comprehensive profile for every fifth- and eighth‑grade student. These include: 

• Demographic information

• Participation in programs like special education, talented and gifted (TAG), and English language development (ELD)

• Attendance and discipline

• State assessment results in English language arts (ELA) and math

• English language proficiency (ELP)

• Current grades 

Coordinators use these profiles to guide selection and proactively recruit students who align with AVID’s mission but may not self-identify as such. When paired with the AVID application and national selection criteria, the system ensures consistency across all schools. 

The impact shows in student growth. At Claggett Creek Middle School, AVID students gained 39 points in math (district average: +19.26) and 41 points in ELA (district average: +25.01). Early identification and targeted support accelerate achievement and keep students in the program. 

Reimagining Persistence by Honoring Student Agency 

One of Salem-Keizer’s most significant advances came from rethinking how students move from middle school to high school AVID. 

“One of our biggest missteps was requiring AVID 8 scholars to reapply for high school AVID without fully considering the impact on student agency,” Nieubuurt says. “This led to increased exit rates in early high school, as students no longer felt ownership in the decision to continue.” 

The district now takes a more student-centered approach: AVID 8 scholars who complete their application and meet their current AVID agreement automatically move into AVID 9. Instead of reapplying, students who choose not to continue complete an Intent to Exit form. This small shift keeps the focus on student ownership - not paperwork - while honoring the commitment students have already made to their AVID journey.

The shift did more than remove a barrier by prompting deeper, more authentic conversations with students about motivation, goals, and support. 

“While this change initially felt counterintuitive, persistence rates have not decreased,” Nieubuurt explains. “Honoring student voice strengthens persistence and program integrity, rather than weakening it.” 

The district’s results—84.52% middle school retention and 73.01% high school persistence—speak for themselves. 

Building Recruitment Around the School Year 

Salem-Keizer’s efficiency is no accident. Recruitment is intentionally aligned to the district’s operational calendar. 

“Our structured recruitment timeline works because it is intentionally aligned to the broader district calendar and operational systems,” Nieubuurt explains. Recruitment windows sync with forecasting, assessment days, and transition events, ensuring that AVID doesn’t compete with other priorities and that students are accurately placed. 

A districtwide recruitment spreadsheet outlines required activities, like a spring transition event for rising sixth graders, as well as non‑negotiable deadlines and school‑specific events. As AVID Site Coordinators coordinate with feeder schools, the shared calendar becomes a systemwide map of equitable access. 

Excellence Recognized 

This alignment of practices, data, and student‑centered design has not only yielded extraordinary persistence rates but has also elevated entire campuses. 

This year, Stephens Middle School and Claggett Creek Middle School completed their AVID National Demonstration School revalidations, reaffirming their excellence. McNary High School is on track to complete its revalidation in April. 

These recognitions reflect a coherent, districtwide approach where aligned beliefs and consistent practices create an AVID pipeline strong enough to serve as a national model. 

Seven Replicable AVID Recruitment and Retention Practices From Salem‑Keizer 

1. Make sure that AVID finds families, not the other way around. 
   Meet families where they already are. Integrate AVID recruitment into transition nights and districtwide events, building in info booths, on‑the‑spot applications, and quick interviews so that students have multiple, easy entry points. 

2. Recruit across schools as one unified feeder system. 
   Create shared timelines, messaging, and events so that students experience a seamless pathway into AVID. Feeder schools plan together, ensuring every family knows when and how they’ll learn about the AVID Elective. 

3. Use data to reveal student potential, not to gatekeep. 
   Equip AVID Site Coordinators with comprehensive student profiles and apply AVID’s national criteria consistently. Data helps identify opportunity, especially for students who may not self‑identify but are a great fit. 

4. Give interested students the chance to experience AVID. 
   Shadow days invite prospective students into the classroom to meet AVID teachers and students, see routines in action, and imagine themselves in the AVID Elective. 

5. Create processes intentional and student-centered. 
   The middle to high school transition is an opportunity to preserve students' sense of ownership and provide space for coaching and guidance. Paperwork and processes should support that and not present barriers.

6. Align recruitment windows with the district’s operational calendar. 
   Schedule AVID recruitment during existing forecasting and assessment periods to reduce conflicts and ensure that students land in the right course at the right time. 

7. Maintain one application and interview process across all schools. 
   Consistency builds equity and clarity. A unified process helps students understand expectations and ensures that every school applies the same standard of access.