Achievement Via Individual Determination is a non-profit organization that provides professional learning for educators to close opportunity gaps and improve college and career readiness for high school and middle school students, especially those traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

When was the AVID program created?

AVID was founded by Mary Catherine Swanson in 1980, at Clairemont High School, in San Diego, US. The first elective class had 32 students. AVID now serves more than 2 million students in more than 7,500 schools in 47 US states and 16 countries.

How was AVID created?

The AVID for Higher Education program was developed with support from Traveler's Insurance and pilot-tested at two colleges. The AVID Excel pilot began at five middle schools in Garden Grove, California, in 2008.