What is KIPP?

KIPP began in 1994 when two teachers, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, launched a fifth-grade public school program in Houston, TX, after completing their commitment to Teach For America. In 1995, Feinberg remained in Houston to lead KIPP Academy Middle School, and Levin returned home to New York City to establish KIPP Academy in the South Bronx. These two original KIPP Academies became the starting place for a growing network of schools that are transforming the lives of students in under-resourced communities and redefining the notion of what is possible in public education.

Since their founding, the two original KIPP Academies have sustained track records of high student achievement. While less than one in ten low-income students attends college nationally, KIPP’s college matriculation rate stands at more than 80 percent for students who complete the eighth grade at KIPP. In 2007, nearly 95 percent of KIPP alumni went on to college-preparatory high schools; collectively, they have earned millions of dollars in scholarships and financial aid since 2000.

The mantra “work hard, be nice” remains central to what it means to be a KIPPster – big and small – and the pillars developed by the founders of KIPP continue to guide KIPP schools across the country including those operating as KIPP New Orleans Schools. To learn more about KIPP and KIPP schools across the country click here.