"I won't give up on my kids. There's just so many different parents out there that want so much for their children."
                 – Maria, mother of Francisco, first grade, The Bronx

Anthony is a fifth grader in Washington, D.C. He attends one of the worst performing school districts in the country, but he's a good student and he studies hard. He didn't always enjoy school. Anthony never knew his mother and after losing his father to drugs in 2004, he acted out in class, didn't care about grades and had to repeat second grade. He moved in with his grandparents who provided more discipline and with a good teacher, Anthony began to study, pay attention in class and has turned his grades around. But next year he will move up to a struggling middle school where students fall two to three grade levels behind. Anthony's grandmother knows how difficult it will be for him to succeed at the school and worries about his safety. Anthony's neighborhood is plagued by crime, drugs and violence. Anthony needs a way out. One school can offer him that opportunity. SEED Charter School is one of the only public boarding schools in the country and it produces remarkable results. At SEED Anthony would move out of his troubled neighborhood and into a challenging academic environment where nine out of 10 students go on to college. But with 61 applicants for 24 spots, Anthony has less than a 50% chance of getting into SEED.