The number of secondary alternative programs in the school district of Philadelphia has grown to 75 giving it one of the largest networks of alternative programs in the country. The object of this paper is to report on the impact of those programs. The programs are divided into four categories: (1) disruptive/ truant programs, (2) career programs, (3) individualized programs, and (4) programs that did not fit into any specified category but offered some alternative to the traditional school. This discussion focuses on what the programs offered students, the problems encountered, and recommendations for improvement. The second part of the paper reports the results of a massive data collection effort which includes data concerning attendance, behavior, and California Achievement Test (CAT) results. CAT comparisons included an analysis of differences between students who remained in an alternative program for two years and those who remained for one year, and an analysis of differences between the traditional (home) schools and their alternative programs. Results indicate that alternative program students are maintaining rates of achievement that are at least comparable with the rates of students in their home schools. (Author/AM)