Hope Lives
Here in Illinois
The future of higher education in Illinois is facing some BIG issues: enrollment trends, increasing costs for families, and too many students leaving the system with debt and no degree.
Hope Chicago’s model is forging a path toward renewed postsecondary success for thousands of Illinois families today and tomorrow.
2026 Digital Day of Action:
May 14, 2026
with Illinois Leaders
Share Your #HopeLivesHere Story
Hope Lives in our Scholars, City, and State.
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High School Communities Transformed
In four short years, Hope Chicago’s five partner high schools have gone from being ranked in the bottom third for college enrollment in Illinois to near the top. Our two largest high schools now project to rank 26th out to the nearly 700 high schools in the state.
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Students Are Persisting
98% of eligible Hope Scholars enroll in an Illinois-based institution for higher education and more are coming back after their first year of college than ever before.
Hope Chicago’s third cohort, the Class of 2024, just recorded the most successful one-year persistence rate in program history—surpassing one-year persistence rates for Black and Latinx students nationally and within Chicago Public Schools.
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Families Are In This Together
Over 390 Parent Scholars have enrolled in degree and career programs, with 70% of Hope Parent Scholars remaining enrolled after their first year. That persistence rate nearly doubles the national rate for adults learners in higher education over the age of 25+.
…and Hope Lives with YOU.
Take steps to support Hope Chicago today.
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From Chicago to Carbondale, our elected officials want Illinois to lead a new national postsecondary success story. To effectively meet this goal, they need to understand Scholar experiences.
Whether in person, written letter, or shared over social media, we encourage you to connect with your elected officials at all levels of government so they are aware of you and your needs.
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If you are attending Hope Chicago’s Day of Action in Springfield, Illinois, we encourage you to document your experiences in photo and video form. Your cell phone is a great tool to do this. By capturing your journey at the Capitol, you can help show others the unique events from our Day of Action. If you can’t join us in-person, film a short video of yourself selfie-style telling us why you support Hope Chicago.
The Hope Chicago team will be using the hashtag #HopeLivesHere on social media platforms. We encourage you to use the same hashtag and tag @HopeChicagoEDU when posting your experiences and/or support on social media.
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Our stories grow with time. Our Day of Action is one event in a series of larger conversations Hope Chicago is attempting to have about advocating for continued State funding for Hope Chicago, i.e. more accessible and equitable pathways to higher education in Illinois.
We encourage you to maintain communication with your representatives. Whether advocating for your own personal cause or getting more involved in your community, regular communications with your elected officials will help them better represent you, and the issues important to you, in Springfield.
#HopeLivesHere on Social
#HopeLivesHere Social Image Cards (Click each image download to your device)
Drafted Social Post :
(Copy the text below, adapt it, or write your own. We appreciate your support.)
👋 (@Elected Official’s Handle)
Reinvestment in @HopeChicagoEDU is critical for all of Illinois. As your constituent, I am asking you to continue this partnership so Illinois families and communities have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential today and tomorrow. #HopeLivesHere