About us

"Prior to its official opening in July 2006, I was involved in cultivating community support for KIPP LEAD, this school that has become a beacon of light in Gary…The rigorous academic standards, the constant focus on its core values of leadership, empathy, achievement and determination, and the vision and action in being the change they wish to see in our community has already made an indelible impression upon the city." - Indiana State Senator Earline S. Rogers

KIPP LEAD College Prep is a public middle school for underserved students in Gary, IN, in the Chicago Metro area serving fifth through seventh grade students. In 2008, KIPP LEAD received the highest possible ranking of "Exemplary Progress" for academic growth by the Indiana Department of Education.

Committed to the philosophy that there are no shortcuts to success and happiness in life, KIPP was founded as a pilot school in 1994 in Houston, Texas by Teach For America (TFA) alumni David Levin and Michael Feinberg. In 1995, Levin moved to New York and founded KIPP Academy in the South Bronx. In the spring of 2000, Don and Doris Fisher, founders of Gap Inc., made it possible for KIPP to replicate its success nationwide by funding the creation of the KIPP Foundation, a national non-profit organization that recruits, trains, and supports educators of talent and dedication as they found and run new KIPP schools across the country. Today, 66 public KIPP schools serve over 16,000 students in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

Since their founding, the original KIPP Academies have sustained track records of high student achievement. While fewer than one in five low-income students typically attend college nationally, KIPP's college matriculation rate stands at nearly 80 percent for students who complete the eighth grade at KIPP. In addition, KIPP alumni have earned over $12 million in college scholarships. The success of KIPP's network demonstrates that the actual proves the possible and demographics are not destiny.

To learn more about the KIPP Network, please visit www.kipp.org.

In July 2006, the founding team of seven staff members opened KIPP LEAD College Prep Charter School serving 80 fifth graders. This group of 80 fifth graders is known as the "Class of 2014," which is the year they will attend college. Through hard work, discipline and dedication, our inaugural class jumped from the 27th to the 49th percentile in reading, from the 37th to the 74th in math and from the 50th to the 68th percentile in language as measured by the Stanford-10, a nationally norm-referenced exam. By July 2010, KIPP LEAD will serve over 320 students in fifth through eighth grade. KIPP LEAD provides an environment where students can develop the knowledge, character, and leadership skills necessary to graduate from college and help change the world.

What makes KIPP LEAD special? Students are in school longer than most public school students. They attend for three weeks during the summer, until 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, and for four hours every other Saturday. Saturday School offerings include music appreciation with a focus on Black music in America, website design, African dance, drama, public speaking and soccer. Rigorous college preparatory instruction is balanced with extracurricular activities and high-quality experiential field lessons. This year fifth graders will visit Washington, DC, sixth graders will participate in a camping trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and seventh graders will tour Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Our students have taken the road less traveled by making the choice to participate in our extended school year program and by committing to our school values of leadership, empathy, achievement and determination. KIPP is a partnership among parents, students, and teachers that puts learning first. Teachers, parents and students sign a learning pledge called the "Commitment to Excellence," which ensures that each will do whatever it takes to help the student learn and achieve their highest potential.