This study examined the development of community involvement in a place-based high school program for at-risk youth. Teachers and community members founded the program to address concerns about low achievement and high dropout rates among Native Hawaiians. In addition to funding, community members provided program development, supervision of students' servicelearning, cultural consultation, political support, and teacher and curriculum development. Collaborations were sustained by open communication, the development of a common set of values among a diverse group of people, and flexibility of community members' schedules. Challenges to community involvement included a lack of support from school leadership, teacher burnout, and occasional interpersonal conflicts.Since 1999, we have participated in the development of a place-based educational program in a rural public high school in Hawai'i. The program began at a grassroots level by teachers and community members who were disturbed by the high dropout rate and low achievement among youth in their area, the majority of whom were of Native Hawaiian 1 ancestry. The founders felt that a focus on local concerns and Hawaiian Studies in general would promote school engagement among more Hawaiian students. As we describe, one of the characteristics of place-based education is a mutual involvement of community members in education and students in community affairs. Since its conception in 1995, community organizations have been involved in the Hawaiian Studies Program (HSP), and at one point over 15 such organizations participated. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of community involvement in the program, including how and why community members became involved and what sustained and diminished their participation.Request for reprint should be sent to: