Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas

What Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas does

Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas (CISHOT) is a 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit founded in 1989 and headquartered at 1001 Washington Avenue, Waco, Texas. It operates as a local affiliate of the national Communities In Schools (CIS) network, the nation's largest dropout prevention organization. CISHOT delivers integrated student supports to at-risk K-12 students through trained site coordinators embedded in 35 schools across 9 Central Texas school districts (Connally, La Vega, Mart, Mexia, Waco, Midway, Teague, and others), reaching over 4,076 students annually. The organization's service model is tiered (Tier 1 school-wide events, Tier 2 small-group interventions, Tier 3 individual case management) across academic, behavioral, attendance, and social domains, and includes counseling, basic-needs support, parent engagement, college and career readiness, enrichment, and academic tutoring.

CISHOT operates two core programs: Campus Programs (the embedded school-coordinator model) and Workforce Programs (career coaching, internships, job placement, and post-secondary navigation for youth ages 16-24, both in-school and out-of-school). A workforce-specific partnership with Workforce Solutions, a Student HireAbility Navigator role, and behavioral health survey instruments extend the service portfolio beyond traditional dropout prevention. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is delivered by approximately 51 staff including site coordinators, career coaches, program directors, and administrative leadership (CEO Sarah Pedrotti, CPO Kaley Eggers, CAO Renae Clemmer).

The business model is grant-funded: services are provided free of charge to students and families, with revenue derived from institutional funders including United Way of Waco-McLennan County, Texas Health and Human Services, and the Waco Foundation, supplemented by individual donations via Givebutter. There are no disclosed prices, no fee-for-service revenue, and no AI/ML components. Marketing is community-based, relying on district partnerships, Instagram (@CISHeartofTX), Constant Contact email, and the cishot.org website. Operating scope is regional (Central Texas / Waco / McLennan County) with no international footprint.

Name

Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas

Legal name

Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas

Website

https://cishot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas is a Waco-based nonprofit affiliate of the national CIS network that places site coordinators in 35 schools across 9 Central Texas districts to deliver dropout prevention, integrated student supports, and workforce development services to over 4,000 at-risk youth annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dropout Prevention Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAC

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAF

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Dropout prevention services
• Youth workforce development
• Student support programs
• School-based mentoring
• College career readiness

Headquarters

HQ city

Waco, Texas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: The organization operates as a nonprofit relying on grant funding and charitable donations to sustain operations. Financial partners include United Way of Waco-McLennan County and Texas Health and Human Services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that places trained site coordinators inside partner schools to deliver integrated student supports through a tiered framework: Tier 1 school-wide services, Tier 2 targeted small-group programs, and Tier 3 individual case management. The supports span counseling and supportive guidance, basic-needs referrals (clothing, hygiene, food, medical/dental/mental health), parent and family engagement, college and career readiness (essay workshops, college applications, resume-building, interviewing), academic tutoring, and enrichment activities such as field trips and college tours. The organization also operates a separate Workforce Programs division that serves youth ages 16-24 with career coaching, internships and work experience, job placement assistance, and post-secondary navigation including college admissions, financial aid, and vocational training.

Product overview

Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas is a nonprofit dropout prevention organization operating as a single integrated service model rather than a technology product platform. The organization offers two core program areas: Campus Programs (delivered through site coordinators in partner schools using a tiered support model: Tier 1 school-wide services, Tier 2 targeted small group programs, Tier 3 individual case management) and Workforce Programs (career coaching and job readiness services for youth ages 16-24). Both programs are supported by six core service components: Counseling and Supportive Guidance, Health and Human Services, Parent and Family Involvement, College and Career Readiness, Enrichment Activities, and Academic Support. The Campus Programs and Workforce Programs function as the primary programmatic offerings, supported by volunteer engagement initiatives and behavioral health assessment tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campus Programs Evidence-based integrated student support services delivered through trained site coordinators placed inside partner schools, providing tiered supports across academic, behavioral, attendance, and social-emotional domains. Includes Tier 1 school-wide events, Tier 2 targeted small-group programs, and Tier 3 individual case management with personalized service plans for at-risk K-12 students in Central Texas.
• Workforce Programs Career development services for youth ages 16-24, both in-school and out-of-school, providing career coaching and job readiness, internships and work experience, and post-secondary navigation including college admissions, financial aid assistance, and vocational training. Delivered in unique partnership with Workforce Solutions.
• Volunteer Programs Community volunteer engagement program offering mentoring opportunities (30-60 minutes weekly per student), tutoring opportunities with flexible scheduling across elementary through high school, and work-study tutoring positions for eligible college students. Volunteers serve as additional adult supports within the Campus Programs service model.
• CISHOT Behavioral Health Surveys Assessment instruments for measuring student behavioral health across grade levels (PK-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-12th) and college/career readiness, including the Developmental Assets Profile used for youth enrolled in CYD programs. These surveys support identification of student needs and inform individualized service planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 4,076 at-risk students annually across 35 schools

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Workforce SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique partnership enhancing workforce development program delivery. Enables hands-on support in career exploration, life coaching, and workforce readiness. Distinguishes CISHOT among CIS affiliates.
• Waco ISDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school district partner with 19 campus locations including elementary, middle, and high schools.
• La Vega ISDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner with 5 campuses including primary, elementary, intermediate, junior high, and high school.
• Connally ISDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner serving students in the Connally district.
• Midway ISDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner with middle and high school campuses.
• Mart ISDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner with high school campus.
• Mexia ISDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner with junior high and high school campuses.
• Teague ISDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner with high school campus.
• Communities In Schools (CIS) NationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization affiliation. CIS is the nation's largest dropout prevention organization. CISHOT operates as a local affiliate of this national network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Junior Achievement of Central Texas: Provides college and career readiness programming for K-12 students in Central Texas. Comparable in the career-readiness component of CISHOT's workforce program though narrower in scope and without the dropout-prevention focus.

Others

• Communities In Schools National: National parent organization of the CIS network. Comparable in mission and brand but operates as the umbrella / capacity-building organization rather than as a direct-service affiliate like CISHOT.
• United Way of Waco-McLennan County: Local United Way affiliate that is both a funder and community convener in the same region. Comparable in nonprofit service scope and regional footprint but functions as a grantmaker rather than direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of Central Texas: Regional YMCA providing youth development, after-school, and academic enrichment programs in Central Texas. Overlaps with CISHOT's after-school tutoring and enrichment offerings.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas: Youth-mentoring nonprofit serving the Central Texas region. Comparable in serving at-risk youth with volunteer mentors and outcome reporting, though narrower in scope than CISHOT's integrated supports.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas: National youth-development nonprofit operating Central Texas clubs serving at-risk youth with academic, career, and mentoring programs. Overlaps CISHOT in target population and youth-development mission but delivers through club facilities rather than school-embedded coordinators.

Direct peers

• Communities In Schools of San Antonio: Texas CIS affiliate providing dropout prevention and integrated student supports in Bexar County schools. Comparable in mission, scale tier, and delivery mechanism.
• Communities In Schools of Central Texas: Another Texas-based CIS local affiliate providing school-embedded integrated student supports and dropout prevention. Directly comparable in mission, funding model, and site-coordinator delivery model.
• Communities In Schools of Houston: Large urban CIS affiliate delivering school-based student supports across Houston-area districts. Comparable operating model though larger in scale than CISHOT.
• Communities In Schools of North Texas: CIS affiliate serving North Texas school districts with the same site-coordinator, tiered support model. Operates in a different Texas geography but with identical programmatic and funding structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cisheartoftx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/communities-in-schools-of-the-heart-of-texas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas