With a warehouse job that required him to be at work during the school day, going to a traditional school was out of the question for Tyler Massotti. He tried online high school but found it to be a lonely and dispiriting experience.

For Nathan Ricca, the road to finding the right high school was long and winding. He began in a traditional high school but felt overwhelmed by the crowded hallways and packed classrooms. He tried military school but didn’t thrive in the regimented learning environment.

Family, friends and educators gathered to celebrate the graduation of the latest group of grads from Acceleration Academies of Ector County. The day brought laughter, cheers and more than a few happy tears as young people claimed the diplomas they might once have thought out of reach.

If they could find a job at all, most 15-year-olds would use the cash to buy snacks, video games or tickets to a concert — or maybe save toward their first car.

When many young learners arrive at Gwinnett County Acceleration Academies (GCAA), they find a school leader who knows their challenges first-hand.

Lee County Acceleration Academies (LCAA) celebrated its first group of graduates recently, as young men and women who might have otherwise given up on high school received the diplomas they had worked so hard to earn.

When Roberto Hilarion and his sister were younger, their parents moved from Cuba to Miami in hopes of building a better life for their children.

Selena Farlow and Jesus Ortiz didn’t plan on becoming parents as high school seniors. But once it became clear that they would, they needed a school where they could not only earn their diplomas but also take good care of their baby boy, Damian.

Just two short years ago, Lowcountry Acceleration Academy alumna Carolina Dominguez Lopez wasn’t sure she’d ever finish high school. Mired in depression, overwhelmed by the crowded classrooms and harsh social dynamic of her old high school, she felt little but despair.