In 2022, a team at Goodwill Colorado and Goodwill Education Initiatives examined the feasibility and need for opening The Excel Center®, Goodwill’s tuition-free high school for adults, in their state. Not only did they find a need, but they also discovered an extensive network of support for opening an adult high school.

Khalilah Palmer, school development director for The Excel Center national office, has had a busy summer supporting the opening of two new locations of The Excel Center, Goodwill’s high school for adults. Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, located in Baltimore, Maryland, and Palmetto Goodwill, located in Charleston, South Carolina, will open The Excel Center this fall.

Goodwill leaders from across the country recently visited Washington, D.C. to educate federal lawmakers on the effectiveness of The Excel Center, Goodwill’s one-of-a-kind high school for adults who wish to earn a high school diploma.

Recognizing that nearly a half million working-age Hoosiers lack a high school diploma, Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana opened The Excel Center in 2010. The Excel Center is a tuition-free public high school for adults offering an Indiana Core 40 high school diploma. In addition, graduates are able to earn college credits and industry-recognized certifications — all at no cost.

Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana proudly operates 15 Excel Center locations that support Hoosier adults returning to school to achieve their educational and career goals. The adult high schools provide onsite child care, transportation assistance and life coaching - all at no cost to the student.