The sun was just rising over the Honduran hills when 12-year-old Jefry packed his worn notebook into his backpack. Though still a child, he carried a weight well beyond his years. His parents worked tirelessly, but the costs of continuing school past 6th grade—uniforms, books, supplies, and school fees—were more than the family could afford.
In Honduras, as in other countries across Latin America, the hardest transition comes right after 6th grade, when students move from primary to lower secondary school (7th grade, the equivalent of the beginning of middle school in the U.S.). At this point, enrollment drops sharply. According to research published on ResearchGate, nearly 37% of students in Honduras leave school after completing primary, never making it to 7th grade. That steep decline means many dreams end just as they begin.
For Jefry, that moment came too soon. Without support, he would have been one of the many children forced to leave the classroom behind, stepping into adult responsibilities before he was ready.
But Jefry’s story took a different path.
Through School the World’s Middle School Scholarship Program, Jefry received everything he needed to continue: his required uniform, school supplies, books, and coverage of his school fees. Just as important, he received the belief that he could keep learning, keep dreaming, and keep building a future.
Back then, Jefry was 12 and just starting 7th grade. In the U.S., 6th grade means looking forward to middle school. In our communities, it can mean the end of school. A scholarship bridges that gap and keeps children like Jefry on track toward opportunity.
Today, Jefry is 15 and still in school. He is the first in his family to study beyond elementary grades. Each morning, he walks out the door in his uniform, and his younger siblings watch him with pride and hope, imagining what they too might accomplish.
Without a scholarship, Jefry’s education would have ended three years ago. With it, his future remains full of possibility.
This year, hundreds of students in Honduras and Panama are facing the same difficult transition after 6th grade. With your support, we can make sure that 152 of them continue this year, moving us closer to our goal of 500 scholarship students by 2026.
One Scholarship. Endless Futures.
Your gift can change a student’s story:
Jefry’s journey is a powerful reminder that education is more than classrooms and textbooks. It is hope, it is opportunity, and with your partnership, it is a future full of possibility.