YouthBuild Charter School of California (YCSC) is a WASC-accredited project-based high school serving young people ages 16-24 who previously left or were pushed out of the traditional school system without a diploma. We work with local YouthBuild programs to provide students with vocational training, counseling, leadership development, post-secondary readiness, and an authentic education leading to a high school diploma.

History of YouthBuild Charter School of California

YouthBuild Charter School of California was founded by Phil Matero based on his strong belief that all young people, regardless of their circumstances, should have access to a quality education that would prepare them to counter social inequities and realize their full potential. The school was launched and continues to be supported by the national organization YouthBuild USA in response to California YouthBuild programs’ need for a robust high school diploma based education option for their students (instead of the GED.)  Our school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and authorized by the Inyo County Superintendent of Schools.

We first opened our doors in September of 2008 to 265 students at three YouthBuild program sites in Los Angeles County. At the end of the first school year, 57 students graduated. By 2010, YouthBuild Charter School of California had expanded to incorporate YouthBuild programs outside of Los Angeles, to a total of eleven school sites across Los Angeles, Fresno, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and graduating 380 students at the end of the school year. Now entering our fourteenth year, YCSC has fifteen school sites and serves around 1,000 students a year. As of 2022, over 6,000 young people have graduated from YouthBuild Charter School of California.