Get a student to school.
And to work.
Chronic absenteeism — defined as missing 10% or more of school days — is one of the strongest predictors of dropping out. Most chronic absenteeism in our community isn't behavioral. It's logistical. A flat tire. A broken-down family car. A missed bus. A walk too long to make safely.
Transportation funding addresses the cause, not the symptom. And it's one of the cheapest barriers to break — for less than the cost of a single therapy session, we can keep a kid attending school every day for a year.
A bike. An e-scooter. New tires. The smallest things that change a student's whole week.
A student at our school got a job. She came in the next day to tell us about it — excited, nervous, ready to start. There was just one problem: she had no way to get there. Her family's transportation situation made a daily commute impossible, and the job wouldn't wait.
We gave her a bicycle the same week. She started her shift on time. That income now helps her family stay financially stable — groceries, utilities, the basics. A $150 bike from Walmart was the difference between a job offer and an unreachable opportunity.
Another student was missing school entirely on days when he missed the bus. Whole-day absences. We learned he had an e-bike at home — but the tires were flat and the family didn't have $70 to replace them. Seventy dollars was the gap between attending school and not attending school for this kid.
We fixed the tires. Now, on days he misses the morning bus, he rides in on his e-bike and only misses first period — instead of the entire day. That's seven instructional hours recovered every time the bus situation breaks down. Multiplied across a school year, it's the difference between failing and passing.
These aren't headline-grabbing interventions. They're $70, $150, $170 fixes. But they're the difference between chronic absenteeism and consistent attendance — and chronic absenteeism is one of the strongest predictors of dropping out of high school.
---------
To date, Rising Tide has funded:
-
1 new e-bike ($250, plus helmet and lock)
-
2 new bicycles ($150 each, plus helmet and lock)
-
2 e-scooters ($150 each, plus helmet)
-
1 e-bike repair ($70 in new tires)
Six students. Six different reasons for needing wheels. Six different outcomes that wouldn't have happened without them.ithout them.
Every dollar in this fund goes toward putting a Rockledge High student in motion.
Monthly giving keeps a transportation reserve always ready, so we never have to tell a student to wait until next quarter. Become a Barrier Breaker
$0 raised
0 donations
0%
Frequency
One time
Monthly
Amount
E-bike repair
$70
Complete bike set up (with helmet and lock)
$150
Complete e-scooter set up (with helmet and lock)
$170
Two students, on the road
$320
Transportation response reserve
$500
Other
0/100
Comment (optional)