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'Innovative pathways' is a three-phase research project examining non-conventional Year 12 and 13 programs at seven New Zealand schools that are regarded as being successful in assisting 'at risk' students in their transition from school to work and/or further education and training. In phase one, which began in early 2002, school staff, a sample of external providers, 17 students from each of the schools and parents were interviewed and additional data was collected on students' prior qualifications and attendance rates. In phase two, at the end of 2002, school staff were interviewed about the transition support they provided and the outcomes for students, students were interviewed about the transition support they received and their plans for the future, information was collected about student qualifications and attendance and parents were also interviewed. In phase three, in mid 2004, follow-up interviews with the students were conducted to ascertain the longer-term impact of the programs on their post-school destinations and experiences. This paper describes the programs, discusses the perspectives of students and outlines the similarities and differences between the programs in order to identify what makes them successful in assisting students to stay at school and experience successful transition from school.