Without a special program geared toward students just like him, Mario Sanchez likely would have stumbled along his path toward college.

“I always wanted to go to college, but I just didn’t know how,” the 18-year-old from Carpentersville said. “I’m the first one in my family who’s going to college, and without my teachers, I probably would have been a lot more clueless on how to do it.”

A significant number of American teenagers graduate from high school unprepared to take their next big steps toward adulthood, according to a recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Arizona’s Center for the Study of Higher Education.

High schoolers fall into three categories, according to the study: About one-third are on a college preparatory track, a quarter are preparing to enter the labor force through career and technical education programs, and the remainder don’t have access to adequate college preparation or occupational training.

Tony Capalbo, High School Plus director at McHenry County College, said that about 65 percent of the college’s students who graduated from high school between 2006 and 2009 needed developmental math courses, which can leave students frustrated because they aren’t for credit.

That number dropped by about 10 percent over the next two years, and MCC wants to help cut back on the need. Capalbo said there are three areas of focus in order to make that goal and help students be ready for whichever path they take post-high school graduation.

The first is a partnership with K-12 schools.

“If there’s a disconnect, you’re in trouble,” Capalbo said. “That’s the first thing that MCC has tried to do with the 14 public and the Catholic schools in McHenry County.”

The second is early intervention. Work needs to be done before graduation from high school, Capalbo said.

The third is a rigorous high school curriculum.

“Over 1,000 students in McHenry County have earned college credit while in high school,” Capalbo said. “It’s not only a huge cost savings, but put that aside, those kids are getting preparation.”

Some McHenry County schools, however, have very different demographics in comparison with the national figures cited in the Johns Hopkins/University of Arizona study.

“Our stats are a little different,” said Jill Hawk, superintendent for Community High School District 155, which operates four high schools in Crystal Lake and Cary.

Just under 90 percent of students in the district are headed toward a two- or four-year college, Hawk said.

A career center in each school helps students research college and career goals. A freshman seminar helps them transition into high school, but also helps them to set goals beyond, Hawk said.

In addition, District 155 works with MCC on dual-education programs, which also are offered at many other schools in the county, including Marengo, Johnsburg and Harvard. These offer college credit for students still in high school and fit in the with the goal outlined by Capalbo of a rigorous high school curriculum.

“Research says that if they’re exposed to [college-level] courses in high school, they’re much more likely to complete college instead of dropping out somewhere along the line,” Hawk said.

In the 2010-11 school year, 49 percent of students at District 155 were in dual education or AP classes. And the percentage climbed to 57 this year, Hawk said.

“We’re exposing our students to college-level rigor while in a comfortable, known environment,” she said.

For Sanchez, a program at Dundee-Crown High School called AVID is helping him as he navigates an often overwhelming transition to post-secondary education.

District 300 is one of 16 districts in Illinois, and nearly 900 across the country, to offer AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination.

Rich Bogue, who is the AVID coordinator, said it’s for students in the academic middle. The program started at District 300 four years ago, so those who were the first participants now are seniors.

“We have a large group of students who don’t know how to navigate the college situation or wouldn’t be pushed to go into more difficult classes,” he said.

They have to want to be a part of the program and must commit to it, including signing a contract that says they will do homework for two hours a day. The application process includes teacher and counselor recommendations, an interview, and an essay.

Because of block scheduling, AVID students meet every other day. Every senior involved is either taking at least one advanced placement class or is taking college-level courses at Elgin Community College.

Sanchez said the program helped him land a once-monthly internship at Northrop Grumman, a defense contractor, as well as a scholarship. He was accepted to Grand Valley State University in Michigan and plans to study engineering.

“Without AVID, I don’t think I would have made it because my grades weren’t up there and I wasn’t ready,” Sanchez said. “I’m a lot more organized, and it helped me improve my grades.”