They finally felt seen: How a tiny Chandler school helps struggling students cross the finish line

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Every afternoon, Janeen Scaringelli stands at the door of Chandler Early College and sends her students home the same way, with a fist bump, a smile and a reminder that they matter.

It’s a small gesture, but at a school this size, nothing goes unnoticed.

Tucked into a single pod on the campus of Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Chandler Early College enrolls just a fraction of the students who fill the hallways of a traditional high school. That’s exactly the point. 

The school, which operates within the Chandler Unified School District, was built for students who struggle in conventional settings, those overwhelmed by crowded halls, large class sizes and the social pressures that come with them.

“We have students that sometimes the bigger schools have anxiety because it’s just too big when they walk in,” Scaringelli said.

This year, 12 juniors are graduating early. Last year, there were three.

For Rohan Kahle, the turnaround was dramatic. After finishing his freshman year at a larger school with all F’s, he transferred to Chandler Early College. The environment, he said, made the difference.

“The sizing anxiety played a role because there was a lot of people I didn’t know,” Kahle said. “The hallways were crowded. It was hectic. It’s hard to work around and focus.”

Now he’s leaving a year ahead of schedule with plans to pursue aviation. “I put in the time and the effort,” he said, “and they met me with the same exact response.”

Brittany Steinfeld made the switch after years of struggling with bullying. She said the dread she used to feel on the way to school vanished when she arrived at Chandler Early College.

“That pit in your stomach you feel on your way to school completely went away when I went here,” Steinfeld said. “I realized how much my teachers care about me, and that totally changed everything for me.”

Scaringelli said that level of attentiveness is built into the school’s model. With a low student-to-staff ratio and individualized graduation plans, teachers and administrators can identify when a student is struggling and intervene before the student falls too far behind.

“I could see a kid walk in and I know that they’re having a rough day,” she said. Asked to describe the school in a single word, she didn’t hesitate. “Family.”

Students at Chandler Early College don’t give up connections to their home campuses. They can still attend prom, play sports and walk at graduation alongside former classmates. And because the school is located on a community college campus, some students are also earning college credits through concurrent enrollment — leaving high school with a head start on an associate’s degree.

The school’s mission, Community, Empowerment, Creativity, is reflected in how it operates daily, according to school officials. Enrollment is open to motivated students within Chandler Unified who are looking for a more personalized path to graduation.

For students who once felt invisible in the system, Chandler Early College is offering something harder to find than a diploma: the sense that someone is paying attention.

This story is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.

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