No one story is the same: Their family needed the money so they must work instead of going to school. They fell behind in class work and couldn't catch up. They struggled with learning in a traditional classroom setting.

While their reasons for staying out of school may vary, the students at a unique Arlington ISD center are united in their goal of graduating.

City and school district leaders praised those dropout prevention efforts on Tuesday. They also celebrated the municipal and educational collaboration that created 600 New York, named for its New York Avenue location near Berry Elementary School.

"This place is great," marveled Mayor Robert Cluck as he toured the redeveloped East Arlington facility that previously had housed a teen center. "Partnership-that's what it's all about."

The city and the school district worked together to come up with a plan that would put the property in the school district's hands and secure a $250,000 community development block grant to pay for the building's renovation. The site is now home to classrooms that offer credit recovery during the daytime, after school and in the summer, early childhood programming and tutoring.

Officials said that both teens in danger of dropping out and parents who want to take ESL or GED classes benefit from the center. More than 600 people have been served since it opened in February 2013.

Isolina Howard, an AISD family literacy specialist, said the individualized attention that students receive affects everyone.

"We want to break down the barriers and provide that support," she said.

SanJuana Pereles heard about the center through word of mouth and began attending ESL classes. Now she is enrolled in the center's GED program with plans to attend Tarrant County College and become a dental hygienist.

"I want to learn more and more," she said.

City and school district officials said that over the last year, the center has spread the message that it's never too late to complete your high school education. And, over time, that will benefit the entire city, said Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos.

"Bringing these services to the students and parents transforms their lives and, ultimately, the community," he said. "The important thing is to understand the needs and serve the students creatively."

Throughout the day, AISD students stream through the credit recovery lab, working on computers monitored by their teachers to learn-and prove what they've learned-everything from freshman English to senior physics.

Around 130 students are working to recover class work and move toward their diploma. The number of hours the students must spend in the lab each week is determined by how many credits they have. The flexible hours, however, are a huge plus for some working students.

Wendy Carrington, director of dropout prevention for AISD, said the center provides a ray of hope for students who otherwise may have given up on their education. Identifying those students and keeping them on track is the long-term goal, she said.