Amy Biehl High School Foundation

Amy Biehl High School (ABHS) was founded in 1999 by two teachers determined to hold themselves accountable for students’ success during and after high school. The school was founded, and continues, in the spirit of Amy Biehl, a woman from Santa Fe, New Mexico who died while working to register women to vote in post-apartheid South Africa. It is a free, public charter school that focuses on scholarship and service, requiring that every student participates in service activities throughout high school, passes college classes, and completes a self-designed 100-hour senior-year service project. Through service, students learn to play meaningful roles in the community, work together, and develop leadership skills. Our graduates are civic-minded, college-bound, and career-ready scholars. Through our unique service-learning curriculum ABHS has partnered with over 100 community organizations and our students have given over 160,000 hours of service to the 505! Many of our students face barriers to college – 50% qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, 76% are minorities, 40% have a learning difference, and over half enter ABHS two or more grade levels behind in reading and math. Despite these barriers, ABHS students are succeeding – 100% of the Class of 2023 was accepted into college and they were awarded over $1 million in scholarships! ABHS believes that social-emotional wellness leads to positive academic outcomes. We have three social workers on staff for approximately 250 students, a drop-in support center, a dedicated social-emotional learning curriculum, and many academic supports like tutoring, and financial aid for dual-credit and college-related expenses. Through this braided system of support, ABHS students develop strong relationships with their teachers and Advisors, learn the skills needed to address social, emotional, and academic challenges, and build on their strengths.