Need.

The need for quality public high schools in inner San Antonio is clear: the dropout rate for students in San Antonio's urban area is 40-60 percent. Many students living in our inner-city are first generation English speakers from low-income families with single head of households. The combination of challenging social problems, poor academic achievement, and economic pressures has lead many students to abandon the educational system.

History.

Opened in August 2009, KIPP University Prep HS is a new public high school that will alter the educational path for low-income students from the most underserved areas of San Antonio. KIPP University Prep is building upon the success of KIPP Aspire Academy, one of the highest performing public middle schools in the city. KIPP Aspire Academy opened in 2003, and over the last six years, its students have consistently achieved significant gains on state and national standardized exams. Students who entered the middle school nearly two grade levels behind in the 5th grade have doubled their reading scores and have ranked in the top 10% of students nationally in math.

KIPP University Prep is part of the national KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network of 82 public charter schools operating in primarily urban areas with underserved populations. Since its inception in 1994, the KIPP network of schools has garnered a track record for getting low-income students to college.

Impact.

Currently, approximately only 200 Hispanic students within San Antonio’s Loop 410 graduate high school "college-ready". The Texas Education Agency defines college-ready as achieving scores of 1110 on the SAT or 23 on the ACT.  In four years, the addition of 100 college-ready KIPP University Prep High School graduates will increase by more than 50% the number of college-ready students within Loop 410.

Mission.

The mission of KIPP University Prep is to equip students with the academic knowledge and skills necessary to excel in college and to inspire students to live ethical lives, command their futures and change their communities. KIPP University Prep will set a new standard for high schools in San Antonio's inner core by demonstrating, with results, that one's demographic or zip code does not determine one's destiny.