Merced Union High School District, serving more than 11,000 students across nine 9–12 campuses, was grappling with behavior challenges and inconsistent discipline practices from school to school. Without a unified plan or common language for behavior and character development, each campus relied on its own systems—leading to uneven discipline patterns and lost instructional time. District leaders knew they needed a coherent, districtwide approach that could reduce suspensions and better support students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs.
To create that consistency, Merced partnered with CharacterStrong to implement supports across all three tiers at the high school level. Leaders valued the comprehensive Tier 1 curriculum, the broad library of ready-to-use resources, and the implementation guidance that helped align practices across campuses. Over time, Tier 2 small-group supports emerged as especially high-impact, giving students space to build regulation skills, strengthen relationships with trusted adults, and grow in confidence. The result: a 73% overall decrease in lost instruction due to suspensions districtwide, alongside measurable gains in students’ self-efficacy and emotion regulation.
Read the full Merced Union High School District case study to see how a unified, three-tiered CharacterStrong implementation reduced suspensions and strengthened student skills—and what a similar model could look like in your high schools.