A Future Without Limits
Dear Friends of KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools, In the summer of 2003, KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools opened one school serving a cohort of 90 fifth graders in North Philadelphia with one simple mission—to provide students with the education needed to get to college. Since then, KIPP Philadelphia has grown to seven schools serving 2,700 students in kindergarten through 12th grade; estab lished a robust alumni counseling program, KIPP Forward, formerly KIPP Through College and Career; and built a regional office team to support the work of b oth our schools and our alumni support programming. Our mission has also evolved. Over the years, KIPP Philadelphia and KIPP schools around the country, have grown to better understand the needs and wants of the communities we serve. We’ve also learned to listen to and elevate the voices of our students, alumni, and families, which led us to our new mission:
Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence they need to pursue the paths they choose— college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. Throughout the past two years, we have seen firsthand the power of together . Our leaders, teachers, and staff, alongside our families, remain laser-focused on addressing unfinished learning and providing the social-emotional support our students need to thrive. Despite the continued challenges resulting from the pandemic, we are steadfast in our commitment to create joyful, academically excellent schools. This same commitment fuels our impact and allows us to open KIPP Octavius Catto Elementary, our seventh school, which will grow to serve 500 students in grades K-4 this fall in the iconic Provident Mutual Insurance Building at 4601 Market Street. Simultaneously, KIPP North Philadelphia Academy will expand its reach and grow from a K-4 to a K-8 school, and our flagship middle school, KIPP Philadelphia Preparatory Academy, will move into its permanent home in the historic John G. Whittier Building. All while expanding our KIPP Forward team and regional operations to ensure we improve quality as we grow. We know we cannot do this work alone. We continue to work alongside our families and community partners to provide the critical resources our students need to build choice-filled lives. Thus, it is apropos that our new tagline—together, a future without limits encapsulates our vision to create inclusive, joyous, and responsive school communities where students are affirmed in their identities, valued in their lived experiences, and challenged academically. At KIPP Philadelphia, we prepare each of our students to emb ark on their chosen academic and career path so that they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. The realization of this vision starts with all of us. I hope that you consider how you want to be a part of this next phase of our journey. In partnership,
Jessica Cunningham Akoto, Chief Executive Officer
OUR STORY KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools (KPPS) is one of 28 regions of KIPP’s national, non-profit network of college-preparatory, public charter schools educating elementary, middle, and high school students. Founded in 2003, KPPS has grown from one school to seven schools serving 2,700 students in kindergarten through 12th grade in North and West Philadelphia. KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools has built a track record of preparing students in educationally underserved communities for success through college and in life. Admission is determined by lottery, without regard to academic record, conduct, or socio-economic background.
Chief Executive Officer
Jessica Cunningham Akoto
K-12 GRADES
2,700 6,000+ STUDENTS
STUDENT WAITLIST Chief Operating Officer
Natalie Wiltshire
OUR MISSION is that together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence they need to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.
Chief Academic Officer
Molly Eigen
OUR VISION is to achieve our mission at a critical mass – thereby reinvigorating public education in this city through the performance of our students and schools and the leadership of our educators.
OUR VALUES
Students First
Cultural Competence
Ownership
Community
Signature Mark
KIPP Forward KIPP Forward, formerly KIPP Through College and Career, honors our promise to support our alumni to and through college and career completion by empowering alumni to continue to use their scholarly habits, knowledge, and qualities of character to continue advancing and engaging with our communities. KIPP Forward counselors support students to choose and prepare for a right-fit college or education path and a meaningful career.
KIPP PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BY THE NUMBERS OUR STUDENTS
2,700+
students served
K-4: 1,500 5-8: 720 9-12: 530
97%
of our students identify as Black or African American
Our students come from
83
unique zip codes
76%
of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch
22%
of our students receive special education services
OUR IMPACT
1,300+ Alumni High School Graduation Rate
93%
25%
of high schoolers participate in an internship
KIPP Alumni enroll in college at
1.6X
the national rate
College Matriculation Rate
67%
KIPP Alumni graduate from college at
4X
Higher than the Philadelphia City and Pennsylvania State rates
the rate of students with similar demographics
90+
National college partners
OUR REGION
2
Existing schools will enroll an additional 860 K-8 students by 2025
New buildings will welcome students in Summer 2022
6,000+ students on our waitlist
80%
teacher retention
62%
of teachers identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color
KIPP Forward, formerly KIPP Through College and Career, honors our promise to support our alumni to and through college and career completion by empowering alumni to continue to use their scholarly habits, knowledge, and qualities of character to continue advancing and engaging with our communities.
MATCH KIPP Forward focuses on a simple truth: match matters. Through KIPP Philadelphia’s Match Framework, our KIPP Forward team ensures that students and families are equipped with the knowledge necessary to make the best fit post-secondary decisions. Counselors support students on all pathways. A growing body of research shows that choosing the right college can make or break a student’s chance of earning a degree. This is especially true for students from educationally underserved communities, and even more so for those who are the first in their families to go to college. The KIPP Forward team meets one-on-one with students and uses a data-driven approach to identify the schools that will be the right fit for each student. This is done through leveraging a robust framework that includes progress monitoring, whole school engagement, and building family investment in the post-secondary process.
COLLEGE PERSISTENCE KIPP Forward provides students in degree-seeking programs with formal coaching and advising once KPPS alumni enroll in their post-secondary program. These supports focus on the development and execution of a passion, purpose, and plan and center academic, financial and socioemotional wellness. Through progress monitoring, advisors develop strategic interventions for students at risk of stopping their program. Persistence support and outreach begins after high school and concludes after six years or upon the earning of an employer recognized credential (Certificate, Associate’s or Bachelor’s). By intentionally building relationships, KIPP Forward can help address specific issues, steer students towards appropriate resources, and empower students to advocate for themselves.
CAREER INTEGRATION Career exposure and awareness are the building blocks of our work with students. By prioritizing career integration across all grade levels, we work to promote self-exploration and identification of interests and aptitudes that will lead each alumni to a choice-filled life. We offer essential career programming for students and alumni, providing an opportunity to explore various career options based on student informed evidence. KIPP Forward counselors implement a customized curriculum that helps students discover the “why” behind their interests, which will help determine a path to a fulfilling career. KIPP Forward helps our students expand their knowledge of career options – and helps those students navigate the steps needed to pursue the career of their choice.
A FUTURE WITHOUT LIMITS COLLEGE PARTNERSHIPS At the national level, KIPP works to help students persist through college and earn an on-time degree through forming college partnerships with the institutions that share our belief that a student’s zip code and family income should not dictate whether he or she attains a degree. To fulfill our commitment to students beyond high school, the KIPP Forward team works alongside colleges and universities to support KIPP Philadelphia alumni. College partners not only commit to admitting KIPP students, but also providing critical resources to ensure that students remain on track for a college degree. KIPP partners with more than 95 college and universities across the country to learn alongside each other how to best support first-generation college students and create a scalable model for college access and completion.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
NATIONAL COLLEGE PARTNERS
LaSalle University is an attractive post-secondary option for KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy high school students. In 2022, more than 20 students were accepted to the private university and pursue degrees in business, nursing, and the health sciences. LaSalle prepares students to explore their passions and gain the skills to succeed in the workforce.
• Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME) • Spelman College (Atlanta, GA) • Florida A&M (Tallahassee, FL) • University of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) • University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
LaSalle University Interim president, Tim O’Shaughnessy, visits with KIPP DuBois students who have been accepted to LaSalle University.
Each year, KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy students are able to apply to University of Pennsylvania’s immersive pre-collegiate summer programs. These competitive programs provide students with the opportunity to explore specific subject areas, meet new people while engaging in campus life and experience a college environment first-hand. Pre-college summer programs are often a pipeline to admission consideration and a great way to experience a school before an Early Decision commitment.
KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy seniors admitted to University of Pennsylvania.
+ More than 20% of college enrolled students attend a National College Partner
REGIONAL COLLEGE PARTNERS • Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) • Bloomsburg University (Bloomsburg, PA) • Rosemont College (Bryn Mawr, PA) • Community College of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) • LaSalle University (Philadelphia, PA)
KIPP Forward, formerly KIPP Through College and Career, honors our promise to support our alumni to and through college and career completion by empowering alumni to continue to use their scholarly habits, knowledge, and qualities of character to continue advancing and engaging with our communities. KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools’ alumni are making their mark. They are earning degrees, building businesses, serving their communities, and leading choice-filled lives. Together, they’re creating a future without limits.
JUWAN RAINER CLASS OF 2014 Juwan graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. Currently, Juwan is a financial analyst with aspirations to be the Chief Executive Officer of his own organization. Juwan is also the co-founder of REACH, a cohesive and comprehensive coaching and tutoring development program for high school students.
ANTHONY ODOM CLASS OF 2018 Anthony is a senior at Hampton University pursing his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a focus in Cyber Security. With a passion for information technology, Anthony aspires to become a senior level engineer at a Big Five tech firm.
ASAZINA COOPER CLASS OF 2014 Asazina is a fourth-grade teacher at KIPP North Philadelphia Academy. Asazina graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies from Dickson College and aspires to become a Leader of School Culture.
OUR SCHOOLS
EVOLUTION TIMELINE
OUR STORY The heart of KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools’ work is the unwavering commitment to educational equity. Since 2003, we have partnered with families to prepare children for college and careers, positioning them to live choice-filled lives. Founded with only a single fifth grade class, since our inception, we have been among the highest performing public schools in Philadelphia. We currently have six schools in North and West Philadelphia educating over 2,700 students from K-12 and serving over 1,300 alumni. Through the efforts of both our schools and KIPP Forward teams, KIPP Philadelphia alumni graduate from college at nearly five times the rate of their neighborhood peers. We are proud of our accomplishments, but our work is not done.
2025 VISION FOR IMPACT: With a current waitlist of 6,000 children, we are embarking on a $20,000,000 comprehensive growth campaign that encompasses three main priorities:
REIMAGINED LEARNING SPACES School buildings are just as much a part of the learning experience as textbooks. Learning spaces help foster educational experiences that support our students’ varied interests from chemistry, to sports, to the arts. The former John G. Whittier School and Provident Mutual Insurance buildings are unique and historic spaces that connect students to the richness of their communities past and present. Through capital expansion, we will further our impact by growing our footprint in North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia. Our impact will be felt inside and outside of the walls of these buildings by providing beautiful, updated spaces for children to learn, serving as a hub in the community.
KIPP FORWARD Our commitment to children goes beyond K-12. KIPP’s innovative college and career access programming, supports students for six years after high school graduation. Our programming matches our students with college and career opportunities that align to their ambitions and reduce financial barriers. Our scholarship and internship opportunities ensure that students and alumni have access to the critical resources needed to succeed in college and pursue the career of their choice.
BUILDING CAPACITY FOR SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS Sustainability for Reimagined Spaces and the KIPP Forward program must be supported by infrastructure growth. Scaling up our staffing model is critical to our long-term, sustainable success. Increasing capacity will ensure that our schools remain student-centered and stable learning environments in which children can thrive.
THE PROVIDENT CAMPUS
Built in 1924, the historic Provident Mutual Insurance Company building is situated on the corner of 46th and Market Streets in the Walnut Hill neighborhood. In Summer 2022, it will be home to our newest school, KIPP Philadelphia Octavius Catto Elementary School.
KIPP Catto students will enjoy learning in a LEED certified building, with modern classrooms, and dedicated playspace and greenspace. In its first year, KIPP Catto will serve 200 students in grades K-1. The building’s central location will create a connection from the school to the surrounding neighborhoods of University City, Walnut Hill, Mill Creek and Garden Court. • Built in 1927 • On the National Historic Registry • Vacant since 1983 • 50,000 square feet • Grades K-4 • 500 students Private entrance and lobby
Bright hallways and spacious classrooms
JOHN G. WHITTIER SCHOOL
The historic John G. Whittier school is situated on the corner of 26th and Clearfield Streets in the Allegheny West neighborhood. In Summer 2022, it will be the new home to our flagship middle school, KIPP Philadelphia Preparatory Academy.
The renovation to this historic building will serve as a model of sustainability while also preserving many of the historic elements of the building. Improvements include state-of-the art classrooms, a multi-purpose gym and auditorium space, outdoor classrooms, playspaces, and publicly accessible green spaces to connect the school to the surrounding community.
Before and after of a classroom
The impact of this project will be felt inside and outside of the walls of the building by providing a beautiful, updated space for children to learn, while also serving as a hub in the community. • Built in 1913 • 80,000 square feet
Before and after of the multi-purpose gym
• On the National Historic Registry • 1 mile from feeder elementary school • Vacant since 2013 • 380 students • Grades 5-8 • Dedicated art and music rooms
Rendering of outdoor classrooms and community green space.
KIPP PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS 5070 Parkside Avenue Suite #3500D, Mailbox 41 Philadelphia, PA 19138 kippphiladelphia.org