At Avon and Gypsum elementary schools, a state-supported after-school program added one-on-one academic help for students who needed it most. Youth Power says many participating students improved their reading and math test scores during the 2025–26 school year. The results are encouraging, but the publicly released figures do not yet establish how much of the improvement was caused by the extra tutoring.
What changed after school?
Youth Power, the Vail Valley Foundation’s education initiative, used a Colorado Nonprofits Out-of-School Time (NPOST) grant to place academic interventionists in its PwrHrs Afterschool programs at Avon and Gypsum elementary schools. The interventionists are also Eagle County School District staff members. The grant supported family learning nights as well, according to Youth Power’s October 20 report.
The Colorado Department of Education lists Youth Power 365 among its NPOST grantees. The state describes the program as funding academic enrichment and related services outside the regular school day. Its public page confirms the grant program and grantee, but does not independently verify the local test-score figures.
What do the reported results show?
Youth Power reports that, in every classroom measured across the two schools, at least 82% of PwrHrs students increased their STAR reading and math scores over the school year. The group also reports that, among fourth- and fifth-graders receiving an intervention at Avon Elementary, 100% increased their reading scale scores, compared with 54% of students in the comparison group who did not receive that intervention.
Those percentages need context. Youth Power’s public release does not give the number of students behind each percentage, the complete score distributions, or a study design that would isolate the effect of tutoring from other influences. The groups were not described as randomly assigned. The figures are best read as the program’s reported outcomes, not proof that the intervention alone produced every gain.
What happens next?
Youth Power says the grant has been renewed for the 2026–27 school year and summer 2027. It also says it is seeking other funding to continue the intervention work after that. The state says more detailed implementation and outcome data are expected in its 2025–26 legislative reporting, which could provide a fuller picture of the program’s reach and results.
Families looking for after-school options can review Youth Power’s elementary programs and check directly with the organization for current availability and eligibility.
Source note: Program outcomes and renewal were reported by Youth Power on October 20, 2026. Grant status and reporting requirements were checked against the Colorado Department of Education on November 10, 2026. Featured image is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of the students or schools.
