Exploring Sense of Belonging Among Students Enrolled in an Alternative Urban Charter School

Students who disengage from high school often face academic, social, and relational barriers to re-enrollment and persistence. Alternative high schools designed for dropout recovery frequently seek to address these barriers through smaller school environments, flexible programming, and intensified adult support. This two-year qualitative case study explores how students at an urban alternative charter school describe their experiences of belonging and re-engagement after previously leaving school. Data were drawn from 47 semi-structured interviews with 14 students and 2 graduates (ages 18–21; 10 of 16 male) supplemented by school observations, staff focus groups, and school documents. Using a constant comparison approach to thematic analysis, the study examines how students described differences between their alternative charter high school and their previous schooling experiences, the extent to which they perceived a sense of belonging within the school community, and how they connected these experiences to their engagement and persistence in school. Participants frequently described feeling known, supported, and socially integrated, particularly through relationships with adults, relevant curriculum, vocational programming, and community service opportunities. Students often associated these experiences with increased motivation to attend school, greater academic confidence, and a stronger sense of educational purpose. Findings suggest that belonging-related experiences may play an important role in how students interpret their re-engagement in school, while also highlighting the importance of institutional structures that support relational connection in dropout recovery settings.