The A Better Chance of Westport program is extremely challenging. Our program is designed for highly talented and motivated students from under resourced educational communities who have the desire and potential to succeed in high school, to pursue a higher education and to become a leader in life. Applicants should be at the top of the class in their current schools. Our previous scholars have come to Westport from public middle schools in urban and suburban settings, charter schools and parochial schools.
As we review the applications we receive from the national A Better Chance office, we look for specific criteria which includes: demonstrated motivation, academic achievement (tests scores and grades), excellence as reflected in recommendations, demonstrated leadership skills, independence, readiness to leave home, and strengths and passions apart from academics.
The Westport A Better Chance program has a particular interest in applications from outstanding 8th grade students who will begin high school in the following school year. If there is an opening, we sometimes will consider a current 9th grade student.
“This program, this [Westport] community, changed my life. I will proudly have the honor of being an A Better Chance Scholar for as long as I live.” — Chukwuma Onyebuenyi, SHS ’11
