AVID is a college preparatory elective program for students "in the middle" who have the potential to succeed in higher education. As a means of expanding advanced educational opportunities for more students, AVID was introduced at Poudre High School and in several junior high schools in Poudre School District beginning in the fall of 2003. The AVID program is based on techniques and philosophy developed by Mary Catherine Swanson, an English teacher at Claremont High School in San Diego, California over 20 years ago. Students who have participated in the AVID program have had an extraordinary rate of success in gaining entry into four-year colleges and universities.