Improving students' lives through education is a continuous goal of school systems. Although education has assumed various roles throughout the years, one of the main goals is to help prepare students for future success. A key characteristic of supporting students in their quest of finding their purpose in life is equipping them with the skills and perseverance necessary to ensure the most challenging of life's tasks can be confronted and conquered. The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program focuses on developing skills within students not only to help them achieve in the classroom, but also to aid them in successfully transitioning to college, the workforce, and their adult lives. The review of literature provided a foundational understanding within three key areas of student life. The areas of focus were school climate and teacher/student relationships, student motivation, including confidence, self-determination and lastly parental involvement, influence of poverty and student's social life. The primary purpose of the study was to explore high school students' perception of the AVID program and the program's influence on students' education, social experiences, and attitudes toward learning. The study's sample consisted of 61 students attending a rural Tennessee high school. The students were enrolled in either the tenth or eleventh grade and had participated in the AVID program since entering ninth grade. The survey used in this study was adapted with permission from the University of Chicago's study on the AVID program. The current survey evaluated students' perceptions of the AVID program using 27 Likert-scale questions. In addition, seven open-ended questions were included to help further understand student views of the AVID program and to provide additional explanation beyond what was gleaned from the traditional survey. Student responses indicated that the AVID program made a positive difference in their lives from an educational, social, and attitudinal standpoint. Although statistical results showed a slightly higher mean of students' responses regarding their educational achievement, the means of students' responses related to both the social growth and attitude toward learning were also positive. Findings also indicated minor differences in students' perception in relation to the grade level and gender of the student. Student responses overwhelmingly supported the AVID program by using terms such as "confidence," "determination," "encouragement," and "motivation" to describe AVID's impact. Findings showed that students who participated in the AVID program found the program was beneficial and enlightening in their lives and appreciated the opportunities the program provided. By consistently evaluating and reassessing educational systems, schools may recognize how the AVID program helps students implement effective strategies and skills that not only enrich the students who participate in the program, but also share a positive effect with the non-participating students they encounter. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]