If graduation candidates at Miami-Dade Acceleration Academies (MDAA) are looking for a role model in developing a wide range of life skills, they need look no further than Erick Velis.

At Acceleration Academies across the nation, graduation candidates who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, queer or otherwise non-binary find a calm and affirming place to learn. Educators celebrate them as individuals, and classmates form a welcoming community with a common goal — to become the...

Kaelob Martinez has the hands of a young man who knows his way around a truck — strong, nimble and proudly limned with grease.

Tamia King had always been a strong student. She enrolled at a magnet high school focused on legal studies, made good grades, and seemed to be on her way.

For Christian Arenas, doing the work of high school wasn’t the issue. Getting there was.

Family, friends and educators gathered recently to celebrate the hard work, determination and bright future of the Escambia County Acceleration Academies Class of 2023.

Ja’Lissa Leggett had always been a good student. But in a traditional high school, with its crowded classrooms and busy teachers, she fretted about requesting the help she needed.

When new graduation candidates arrive for orientation at Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies, Jamaal Hickman greets them at the door. “I tell them, ‘I meet you right here and I’m going to be there when you get your high school diploma.’ ”

For Zamaria Farris, there were so many reasons to leave her traditional high school behind: sweaty hallways, teachers who lacked the time to help her, a social life that led her to the shopping mall rather than study hall.