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Student connections climb: division reports increases in extracurricular participation and outreach to underserved students
Summary
District reported overall increases in student participation in clubs and activities for FY25 versus FY24, notable gains for economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities, and strategies to sustain growth including data checkpoints and student advisory groups.
York County School Division officials reported May 12 that student participation in extracurricular and co‑curricular activities increased in FY25 compared with FY24, and they outlined steps the division is taking to reach more students, especially those who are economically disadvantaged or have disabilities.
Michelle Hufstedler presented the student-connections update, a key performance indicator in the division’s strategic plan. The dashboard snapshot showed secondary participation up overall: total secondary students connected rose 2 percentage points year over year; multiple connections rose 4 points; extracurricular participation rose 8 points; co‑curricular participation rose 1 point; athletics/scholastic participation fell 1 point. Hufstedler highlighted schools with strong gains and noted that economically disadvantaged students increased participation by 5 points and students with disabilities increased by 8 points.
Why it matters: staff said research links school climate and extracurricular access to academic achievement, attendance and social skills. Hufstedler said student-connections coaches and principals monitor participation, attendance, discipline and academic indicators roughly every 4.5 weeks and use those data to target outreach. She described examples of school-level innovations — programs that embed clubs into the school day at Seaford and Dare elementary schools and a Waller Mill Melody Makers partnership that uses 3D-printed violins — as promising practices to replicate.
Staff described several strategies already in place: improved Aspen data entry checkpoints for clubs/teams, regular monitoring of connections and absenteeism, and coaching support for principals. Hufstedler said principals are asked to create school climate goals for FY26 as part of improvement planning and to involve student advisory groups in designing local solutions.
Board members asked about student choice, pressure on teachers and ensuring clubs do not reduce instructional time; presenters emphasized voluntary, interest-driven offerings and noted many sponsors are volunteers who provide activities because they want to support students.
Ending: staff said they will continue quarterly monitoring, share promising practices across schools and ask school leadership teams to adopt a school climate goal for FY26 based on the triangulated data of participation, student voice and climate surveys.
