Involvement by the adult community in schools and students' lives is an effective way to increase student attendance, boost morale, and improve students' perceptions about their school experience. This study examined a two-year comprehensive community intervention initiative within a high-risk junior high school, measuring its impact on student attendance, as well as student, staff, and faculty perceptions of school climate. Findings of the study show that community partnerships and programs can increase student attendance rates and significantly improve perceptions of school conditions. Findings also show that when the pressures of raising standardized test scores impede these kinds of community intervention efforts, a significant and dramatic decline in the perceptions of school climate may result. Thus, the authors of this study make an argument for sustainable, collaborative, and organic community-based mentoring programs that focus on the development of students' creativity as a means to improve school practices. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)