Houston will see a huge bump in the number of charter schools operated as part of the Knowledge Is Power Program network over the next decade, under plans announced last week.
The leadership of KIPP Houston said the organization had raised $65 million to help expand its charter schools in the city from eight to 42. Those schools will eventually serve 21,000 students from prekindergarten to 12th grade, up from 1,700 today.
The final fundraising goal to achieve that level of growth is $100 million.
Steve Mancini, a spokesman for KIPP’s national office, based in San Francisco, said: “We think this is going to raise the bar for education across the city.”
The KIPP network includes 52 schools in 16 states and the District of Columbia. The college-preparatory public schools serve primarily low-income and minority students, and have produced what many analysts call impressive academic gains.
The $65 million in contributions came from Houston individuals and foundations, as well as from national philanthropies including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has committed $10 million, and the Bentonville, Ark.-based Walton Family Foundation, which has pledged $8.7 million.
For more stories on this topic see Charters and Choice.
For background, previous stories, and Web links, read Charter Schools.
