Lower-income students of color in California are often underserved, as evidenced by low-resourced schools, an achievement gap, and low college-going rates. Educators increasingly call for "community schools" that link schools with community members and agencies to promote educational achievement and to access communities as resources for learning. The authors recently studied one such school in California with documented success, where they found examples of powerful practices and strong links between school and community. They sought to understand how the school partnered with local communities to organize for success, and how it fostered meaningful learning.