ABILENE, Texas -- After being labeled "academically unacceptable" by the state, the Abilene Independent School District launches new programs to keep kids in school.

The Abilene School District was labeled unacceptable because even though 83.3% of students graduated, only 74.1% of Hispanic students did. That's .9% below the state required 75%. A big factor that played into that was at Woodson Center for Excellence where only 54.9% of Hispanic students graduated.

Woodson works with students who are falling behind in class.

Student, Elena Guevara says she some day wants to go to college and become a teacher. But she has to graduate high school first. "I started a job and wasn't able to get up in time for school....now I only have 2 credits to go then I'll be done."

Elena and Adriana Jaramillo both credit Woodson for not dropping out. Adriana told KTXS, "the teachers work with you a little harder than at regular schools."

Woodson Center for Excellence Principal Diana Malek says students have a variety of reasons for falling behind, "a lot of our students are on their own, they don't live at home anymore, a lot have children some of them are married."

She says for many, they hit a point in their high school career where they have to choose choose family or school, "every time we lose a student I feel like we have lost and we take it personally."

So this year, it's all about options.

Woodson now offers night school, new hyper-focused curriculum, blended course work and harsher truancy policies.

Malek says, "fast is the name of the game when they get to us because when they get to us their 17 and behind and in danger of not graduating."

Woodson takes student's applications throughout the year.

Just this week, 10 new students switched to their campus.