The Pontiac Promise Zone — initiated by the Pontiac School District — enables students within the district, which may include students from Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Lake Orion, Rochester, Lake Angelus and White Lake — to obtain financial assistance to attend any college or university in Michigan and to earn a two-year associate degree. If sufficient funding is raised, the program will be expanded to support the students through their bachelor’s degrees.

All applicants must first apply for financial aid, which is applied first to the tuition bill before the Promise Zone Scholarship is awarded to help make up the difference. The number of years a student attends a school within the Pontiac district is also a factor in the award.

In 2011, the Auburn Hills Tax Increment Finance Authority donated $400,000 to the Pontiac Promise Zone Authority.