To ensure all U.S. students have a fair opportunity to learn, grow and thrive, we need to remove barriers that create unequal challenges for Latinos and other disadvantaged students. By fixing issues around low-income levels and fair access to college-readiness programs, and providing support and resources tailored to specific backgrounds and experiences, we can make education work better for everyone.
In the United States, approximately 27% of the 50.6 million students enrolled in PreK-12 public schools are Latino and 5 million students are English learners — of which 77% are Latino.
Latino students have made significant progress over the past decade:
Despite these strides, more must be done to ensure that students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, linguistic abilities and gender identities have an opportunity for social and economic mobility.
UnidosUS advances educational opportunity and success through a coordinated set of programs that support children from early childhood through postsecondary access and success. Our work reflects a seamless journey — strengthening students, families and systems at every stage.
Across all education priorities, UnidosUS centers families as essential partners, equipping them with the tools, knowledge and leadership opportunities to support student success and long-term economic mobility.
UnidosUS promotes high-quality, culturally responsive early learning experiences that support young children’s academic and social-emotional development. By partnering with families and early learning providers, we help ensure children enter school ready to learn and thrive.
As students progress from preschool through high school, UnidosUS strengthens academic achievement, identity development and future planning. Programs engage both students and families, building knowledge, leadership and confidence to navigate educational systems and prepare for postsecondary access and success.
Postsecondary education is critical for advancing opportunity. UnidosUS expands access, affordability and completion while supporting students and families as they navigate postsecondary systems. Our work also connects students to career pathways and our own alumni network, ensuring that education translates into long-term opportunity and continued success beyond graduation.
UnidosUS’s education programs support the full student journey, from early childhood through postsecondary education and beyond. We focus on student learning experiences, family and community engagement, leadership development for school leaders and capacity building for educators and practitioners.
In 2009, UnidosUS launched Padres Comprometidos, a family engagement program designed to empower families by enhancing their skills and leveraging their cultural assets to engage effectively with schools and the community. The program aims to build strong partnerships between parents and educational institutions, enabling families to play a pivotal role in their children’s path to postsecondary success.
UnidosUS’s Civics for All program increases civic knowledge and engagement among students, families and adults by fostering a culture of civic responsibility. This program empowers participants to stay informed about critical issues within their community and actively participate in civic life, encouraging greater involvement in decision-making processes and a deeper understanding of one’s role as an engaged citizen.
This program empowers families and educators to become active participants in their communities. By integrating culturally responsive early childhood strategies with civic education, it helps families shape the systems that serve them and build stronger, more informed communities.
UnidosUS, in partnership with Understood, developed the Cultivando Mentes Brillantes program specifically for families and caregivers. This initiative is designed to increase awareness of learning and thinking differences (LTD) and their impact on student success. Through this collaboration, UnidosUS aims to produce culturally relevant resources and research, enhancing support for families and parents of children with learning differences.
Developed by UnidosUS in 2025. Families Thriving strengthens family engagement by equipping parents and caregivers with the tools and support to actively participate in schools and communities. The program also supports facilitators through professional development, technical assistance, peer learning and data sharing to ensure effective implementation and help learners succeed on their path to postsecondary achievement.
In 2001, UnidosUS launched the Escalera: Taking Steps to Success program, to promote upward economic mobility for Latino youth by increasing educational attainment, career planning and access to information about postsecondary pathways and professional careers. Since then, Escalera has evolved into a national postsecondary and career readiness program that serves students and instructors with a culturally affirming curriculum. Programming allows students to enhance leadership skills, postsecondary and career knowledge, financial empowerment and exploration of diversified career pathways.
Pioneras en STEM aims to spark Latina high school students’ interest in STEM fields, motivating them to pursue STEM-related careers and increase their access and entry into STEM pathways. The program fosters positive expectations for Latina students and increased engagement in the academic process, which leads to improved high school graduation rates, postsecondary enrollment and completion rates, and advancement into careers with opportunities for upward mobility.
UnidosUS’s Avanzando Through College program equips first-year, second-year, transfer and/or community college students with the skills, information and support systems needed to identify student services, offer career exploration, improve academic performance, transfer to a four-year college (if applicable), and ultimately, graduate college.
Avanzando to Success supports third-year, fourth-year and fifth-year students with postsecondary completion and successful entry into careers. The program empowers students with self-efficacy skills and access to wraparound services — information on internships, career pathways, financial empowerment and civic engagement — leading to degree attainment.
Launched in 2025, UnidosUS Education Alumni Network reconnects past Education Program participants with UnidosUS’s mission to build a stronger America by creating opportunities for the Latino community.. Through regional mixers and professional development opportunities, alumni advance their professional journeys while driving collective progress for the broader Latino community — all apart of a long-term vision for localized impact and nationwide systemic change.
Men of Action is a national UnidosUS initiative that advances educational, career and leadership outcomes for Latinos and other young men of color. By connecting educators, community leaders and partners, the initiative strengthens systems that support male-identifying youth and young adults. Through national convenings, communities of practice and research, Men of Action promotes identity development, wellness, career readiness and pathways to postsecondary success and meaningful careers.
Stay up to date on what’s happening in the Latino community and how UnidosUS is working to improve educational opportunity for all students.
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