More
Close 
HOUSTON, TX (November 10, 2025) – KIPP Texas’ KIPP Shine Prep and KIPP Houston High School are celebrating Gold Ribbon-status in the recently announced Children at Risk 2024-2025 Houston School Rankings.
Each year the Texas-based research and advocacy non-profit releases its rankings which recognize the schools that are going above and beyond in serving students. The Gold Ribbon sub-designation highlights the high-performing schools in which 75% of the students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. KIPP Shine ranked ninth among Houston-area Gold Ribbon elementary schools and KIPP Houston ranked fourth among Houston-area Gold Ribbon high schools.
“A lot of people don’t know that 10 percent of all of the kids in America live in the state of Texas and 65% of those students are economically disadvantaged,” said Robert Sanborn, President & CEO of Children at Risk. “We want to make sure they are getting access to the best schools possible.We want to make sure that we break any cycle of poverty. It’s a challenge for us because there’s such a division in the state of Texas between the wealthy and the not wealthy. The way that you equalize that is through quality public education.”
It’s been a notable year for KIPP Shine Prep and KIPP Houston High School as the institutions were also two of the three Houston-area KIPP Texas schools that received A-ratings in the recently released 2024-2025 Texas Education Agency accountability scores. This year, KIPP Shine Prep received its third consecutive TEA A-rating and KIPP Houston High School achieved its third TEA A-rating.
Children at Risk rankings reflect more than just TEA ratings as they also consider student achievement, campus performance, student growth and college readiness among high school students.
“When people ask what makes KIPP Shine special, I tell them it’s not the data, it’s the people,” said KIPP Shine School Leader Antara Morris. “It’s my students who come year after year. It’s my families who choose to bring their children to us, but more than that, it’s my staff members who commit the time and effort to go above and beyond for my students.”
KIPP Houston High School Leader Geoffrey Roy agreed.
“One of the main details that makes our school a successful place where children thrive is our unabashed commitment to our AP for All program,” Roy said. “Every one of our kids who graduates takes six or more advanced placement classes. We also foster a place where relationships matter and our kids can feel seen and heard. The magic of high school is you get to see kids become leaders.”
It’s been a remarkable season of progress and success for KIPP Texas as the statewide charter school network’s overall district TEA score has jumped 11 points over two years, increasing from a D in 2023 to a B in 2025.
“This is a testament to the hard work of our students, our families, our teachers and our school leaders,” said Sehba Ali, CEO of KIPP Texas. “Together we are creating a future where every child has the skills and confidence to pursue college, career and beyond. We will continue to chase excellence!”
###
About KIPP Texas Public Schools
KIPP Texas Public Schools is an open-enrollment, public, tuition-free charter school network of 45 schools with more than 31,000 pre-K-12 students across the state.Together with our families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare our students to pursue any path they choose — college, career and beyond — so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. For more information, visit kipptexas.org.
