KIPP Texas Families,
I want to share fantastic news about our KIPPster’s achievements and recognition of KIPP schools closing the college completion gap.
KIPP Texas High Schools Ranked Among Top in the Nation
First, I am so proud to share that nine of our KIPP Texas high schools are ranked among the top in the nation by the Jay Mathews Challenge Index High School Rankings, formerly known as America’s Most Challenging High Schools, published in The Washington Post.
Austin
- KIPP Austin Collegiate is the 3rd best high school in Austin
- KIPP Austin Brave is the 4th best high school in Austin
Dallas
- KIPP Oak Cliff Academy is the 3rd best high school in Dallas
Houston
- KIPP Connect High School (KIPP CONNECT Preparatory) is the #1 best high school in Houston
- KIPP Houston High School is the 5th best high school in Houston
- KIPP Generations Collegiate is the 8th best high school in Houston
- KIPP Sunnyside is the 9th best high school in Houston
- KIPP Northeast College Preparatory is the 10th best high school in Houston
San Antonio
- KIPP University Prep is the 8th best high school in the Nation and #1 in San Antonio
According to the 2023 ratings, the nine schools are ranked among the top 1% of America’s 22,000 plus high schools. KIPP Connect High School (KIPP CONNECT Preparatory) is the #1 high school in Houston and KIPP University Prep is the #1 high school in San Antonio and #8 high school in the nation!
The Challenge Index is the oldest high school ranking system in the country that ranks both private and public schools. Rankings are determined by the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge tests administered at a school each year, divided by the number of graduates. By not relying on test scores to rank, the index demonstrates educational equity by allowing the opportunity for all KIPPsters to Chase Excellence through college-level courses. Learn more about this on our blog.
Seven KIPP Texas High Schools named the best in the country by the U.S. News & World Report
Second, the U.S. News & World Report is celebrating the Best High Schools in Texas, and I am proud to announce that seven KIPP Texas schools have been named among the top-performing public high schools.
Top Ranked High Schools:
Austin
- KIPP Austin Collegiate is the 10th highest ranked high school in Austin
- KIPP Austin Brave is the 10th highest ranked charter high school in Austin
Houston
- KIPP Houston High School is the 10th highest ranked charter high school in Houston
- KIPP Generations Collegiate is the 15th highest ranked charter high school in Houston
- KIPP Northeast College Preparatory is the 20th highest ranked charter high school in Houston
- KIPP Sunnyside High School is the 22nd highest ranked charter high school in Houston
San Antonio
- KIPP University Prep is the 15th highest ranked high school in San Antonio
This year, 18,000 public high schools across the country were ranked according to data on their graduation rates, state assessment performance and how well they prepare their students for college. The data used comes from statewide assessments, the College Board and the U.S. Department of Education. Read more about how U.S. News & World Report ranks the High Schools. Read more about it on the blog.
New Independent Research Shows KIPP Public Schools Are Closing the College Completion Gap
To continue the great news, I have one more exciting announcement. While our high schools rank among the top in the nation, our KIPPster alums are also proving to Persist with Purpose after graduation. This week, a new long-term study released by Mathematica, titled “Long-Term Impacts of KIPP Middle and High Schools on College Enrollment, Persistence, and Attainment,” revealed that students who attended KIPP for both middle and high school are nearly twice as likely to persist and graduate from a four-year college as their peers who did not attend KIPP!
The study followed 2,066 students from ten regions who applied to join KIPP in 5th and 6th grade via an admissions lottery. These students graduated from high school in the classes of 2016, 2017, and 2019. The students’ college enrollments, college persistence, and degree completion were tracked through the Spring of 2022. The study compared college enrollment and attainment among students who were invited to attend KIPP middle school through the lottery to those who were not invited to attend. Researchers focused on all three cohorts’ college enrollment and persistence for three years after graduation. The study focused on college graduation rates five years after graduation for the first two cohorts. Researchers used a national database of post-secondary students to follow their progress after high school graduation.
Learn more about the independent study of KIPP Public Schools’ long-term impact spanning 15 years on the blog.
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We are Chasing Excellence in all KIPP Texas Schools, and it fills my heart with immense joy and gratitude when I know that the efforts of our Little and Big KIPPsters are recognized and rewarded. We are excited to add even more KIPP Texas schools to the be ranked best in the nation in the years to come as we strive to be an A-rated school system! Together, with our families we will make this dream a reality.
With gratitude,
Sehba Ali
