ROCKFORD, Ill. — A nationwide nonprofit is bringing an innovative education center to Rockford.

Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois announced on Wednesday morning the grand opening of The Excel Center, an innovative adult high school which will give a second chance to those wanting to earn their high school diploma and gain skills for a brighter future. The school will open with 150 students and will have ongoing registration every 8 weeks.

The Goodwill Excel Center is the first of its kind in Illinois. It is estimated that more than one million Illinoisans don't have their high school diploma, with nearly 30,000 Rockfordians alone.

The Excel Centers' graduates nationwide are earning 38% more than their peers 5 years after graduation, according to a Notre Dame Lab for Economic O

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