Supported, Connected, and Engaged: Four Years of Change at Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School partnered with Challenge Success from 2021 to 2025. Throughout their journey, they moved through the Challenge Success School Change Process to infuse well-being, engagement, and belonging into their school culture, contributing to meaningful improvements for students. Over four years, they turned data into action and action into lasting change.
What the Data Showed
When Los Alamitos High School first partnered with Challenge Success, the student survey confirmed what many teachers and administrators already sensed: students were working hard, but struggling with a balance between wellness and academic pressure. Students seemed overloaded and tired. And while peer-to-peer connections were strong, there was an opportunity to improve connections between teachers and students.
Initial surveys of 10th and 12th grade students in 2021 revealed:
Changes Made to Improve Student Well-Being, Engagement, and Belonging
With data in hand, well-being, engagement, and belonging became the anchors for everything that followed. Los Alamitos’ work was notable for its scope: they didn’t focus on one intervention, but intentionally built an ecosystem of supports that could positively influence student well-being, engagement, and belonging.
Progress Over Time
Four years of consistent, purposeful work produced measurable results. Students are sleeping more, feel more supported by adults on campus, and are better equipped to handle the pressures of high school.
Decreased Academic Pressure
Students reporting high academic worry decreased from 72% in 2021 to 63% in 2024
Students confident in their ability to cope with stress increased from 33% to 40%
Average time spent on homework decreased from 3 hours to 2.6 hours
More Sleep
Average nightly sleep on school nights increased from 6.3 hours at partnership start to 6.7 hours in 2024, a meaningful gain in one of the most important drivers of well-being.
Increased Engagement
Students reporting purposeful or full engagement in school grew from 18% to 22%, reflecting a shift in how students experience their learning environment.
Increased Student Support
Students who have a trusted adult on campus increased from 57% in 2021 to 67% in 2024.
Note: We did not test for statistical significance when measuring change over time.
Lasting Impact
As LAHS created change in their school community, they received recognition for their impact and leadership, including:
The school also presented their full journey to the Board of Education in a public Year in Review, modeling transparency and accountability for the broader community. In April 2024, LAHS hosted the Challenge Success West Coast Spring Convening, welcoming school teams from across California.
Looking ahead, Los Alamitos plans to sustain and deepen this work through the CS Student Club, continued use of the time management worksheet, and monthly engagement opportunities. LAHS frequently attends the Challenge Success Annual Conference to continue to learn alongside and contribute to the broader Challenge Success community.
“Our partnership with Challenge Success gave us the ability to acknowledge growth areas in comparison to similar high schools within our state. Collaborating with an organization that prioritizes core values and student mental health, ensured that we were using intentional data to drive meaningful and impactful change. Our relationship with Challenge Success and our liaison for four consistent years, served as an effective think tank for addressing ways to solicit student, staff, and community voice around barriers that impact overall student performance. The data driven research provided by Challenge Success was tailored and aligned with methods of application that allowed us to apply it directly based on our school greatest needs. We were able to significantly move the needle in a positive direction in all three focus areas: well-being, belonging and engagement. What a gift it was to serve as one of the contributing members of this partnership and overall change for the good.”