The Secondary BOC School was founded in 1980 in response to a large wave of immigrants from Southeast Asia. Today it is one of only a few schools nation-wide designed as a preliminary educational portal through which immigrant children pass in their quest for academic achievement and full participation in American society. Some students come with extensive schooling, needing only English proficiency and cultural orientation; others have never before attended school. In its 27-year history approximately 7,000 students have attended the SBOC.