What is KIPP?

KIPP Through College

Directions

Our Results

KIPP Chicago 2013 from KIPP Chicago on Vimeo.

What is KIPP?

KIPP is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. There are currently 125 KIPP schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia serving more than 30,000 students.

KIPP Chicago

Founded in 2003, KIPP Chicago began with a single class of fifth graders at KIPP Ascend Middle School. Today, KIPP Chicago consists of three schools, KIPP Ascend Middle, KIPP Ascend Primary, and KIPP Create College Prep.  Together, they are serving over 700 students in grades K-2 and 5-8.  We also support over 350 KIPP Chicago alumni currently in high school or college through our KIPP Through College program.  Our students come from the Austin, Garfield Park, and North Lawndale neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side. One hundred percent of our students are African American and Latino, most of whom will be first-generation college graduates, and more than 90% live below the poverty line.

Leadership Team

• Executive Director | April Goble
• Chief Academic Officer | Amy Pouba
• Managing Director of Operations | Nicole Boardman
• Director of Development | Rebecca Centioli
• KIPP Ascend Middle Principal I Lauren Henley
• KIPP Ascend Primary Principal I Ellen Bhattacharyya
• KIPP Create College Prep Principal I Kate Mazurek 

Our Mission

The team at KIPP Chicago is guided by a simple, yet powerful mission:  to create a network of excellent schools in the greater Chicago area that teach our students the character and academic skills necessary to succeed in college and beyond, to be happy in the competitive world, and to instill in them a desire to help change the world.

What is a charter school?

Charter schools operate with fewer regulations than regular public schools in exchange for accountability for their results. Like all public schools, charter schools must be nonreligious and nondiscriminatory and are often focused on a particular approach to educating students. Charter schools are seen as an alternative to regular public schools and a way to provide choice and innovation (from www.greatschools.net). Public charter schools may not charge tuition and may not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability.