About Us
KIPP is a non-profit network of college-preparatory, public charter schools with a 20-year track record of preparing students in educationally underserved communities for success in college and life. KIPP currently serves 80,000 students in 200 schools across the country, including Indianapolis. KIPP Indy Public Schools (KIPP Indy) was founded in 2004 with one class of fifth grade students and has grown to serve over 600 students across two schools. At KIPP Indy, teachers, students, and families are all united around the same goal: college and a choice-filled life. We believe that an excellent college-preparatory education will set students up for success in whatever life path they choose.
KIPP Indy College Prep Middle serves students in grades 6-8 and KIPP Indy Unite Elementary serves students in grades K-2. Each year, our elementary school will add a grade level until it eventually serves students up until 5th grade. We plan to grow KIPP’s network of schools in Indianapolis to a total of five schools, serving 2,500 students in grades K-12.
Our success is driven by:
- High Expectations: We set clearly defined and measurable high expectations for academic achievement and conduct in order to create and reinforce a culture of achievement and support. We know that every student is different and we personalize learning based on a student’s needs, skills, and interests.
- Strength of Character: Success in life depends on both academics and character. We help students foster character strengths that are essential for their own success and well-being. And we empower them to express their voice with power and to improve the world around them.
- Highly Effective Teachers and Leaders: Great schools require great teachers and school leaders. We empower our educators to lead school teams, and we invest in training to help them grow as professionals.
- Safe, Structured, and Nurturing Environments: Students need physical and emotional safety in order to take risks and learn from their successes and their mistakes. Our schools provide a safe, structured, and nurturing environment with minimal distractions and more time for both academics and extracurriculars, so our students love school and maximize their learning.
- KIPP Through College: Our counselors and advisors support students as they prepare for and select the right college and career for their needs and interests. After high school, we help KIPP alumni navigate the social, academic, and financial challenges they might encounter while in college.
- Enrichment Opportunities: We are committed to offering enrichment programs like music, art, technology, and athletics. These programs help to reinforce character traits, help to strengthen peer and adult relationships, help to shape motivation and self-confidence, and help in developing soft-skills such as critical thinking and analysis.
Mission
To create a network of schools that provides educationally underserved children with a rigorous education that builds the desire and ability necessary to thrive in college and beyond.
Vision
One day, all children in the Indianapolis community will have the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to live a life of choice while continuing to improve themselves and their community.
We Believe in Teaching Character Strengths Alongside Academics
We teach character strengths in everything we do at both of our schools. We believe that developing strong character is just as important to student success as academic achievement.
KIPP’s Five Pillars
Nationwide, KIPP schools share a core set of operating principles known as the “Five Pillars”
KIPP schools have clearly defined and measurable high expectations for academic achievement and conduct that make no excuses based on the students’ backgrounds. Students, parents, teachers, and staff create and reinforce a culture of achievement and support through a range of formal and informal rewards and consequences for academic performance and behavior.
Students, their parents, and the faculty of each KIPP school choose to participate in the program. No one is assigned or forced to attend a KIPP school. Everyone must make and uphold a commitment to the school and to each other to put in the time and effort required to achieve success.
KIPP schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics and life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high schools and colleges, as well as more opportunities to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.
The principals of KIPP schools are effective academic and organizational leaders who understand that great schools require great school leaders. They have control over their school budget and personnel. They are free to swiftly move dollars or make staffing changes, allowing them maximum effectiveness in helping students learn.
KIPP schools relentlessly focus on high student performance on standardized tests and other objective measures. Just as there are no shortcuts, there are no excuses. Students are expected to achieve a level of academic performance that will enable them to succeed at the nation’s best high schools and colleges.