Program Areas

Round II Grantees

Congratulations to the following Spark Opportunity Grantees! The 21 schools highlighted below demonstrated strong academic performance, a commitment to serving students from populations with high needs, and strong financial and operations management.

Beatrice Mayes Institute

Houston, TX

Beatrice Mayes Institute serves the greater Third Ward, a historically academically and economically distressed community of Houston. It has an unwavering commitment to ensuring that all children receive a rigorous equitable education and the soft skills needed to thrive in the 21st century regardless of race, zip code, or economic status. The school works diligently towards providing students with an engaging and impactful curriculum that has been able to rival magnet and vanguard programs across the state.

Believe Memphis Academy Charter School

Memphis, TN

Believe Memphis Academy Charter School prepares scholars in grades 4 through 8 with the academic rigor, robust supports, and leadership development necessary to excel in high school, thrive in college, and lead lives full of opportunity. The school achieves this through its three priorities of great teaching, supports for all scholars, and leadership development.

Citizens of the World Kansas City

Kansas City, MO

Citizens of the World Charter School Kansas City (CWCKC) is a high-performing, neighborhood school serving the diverse families and children of Midtown Kansas City. Its mission is to provide an excellent public education focused on developing and demonstrating understanding while building connections within a diverse community. CWCKC’s goal for student success includes mastery of both content and emotions, so that students can meaningfully connect with each other, be part of any community, and courageously decide who they are in the world and how they want the world to be.

Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School

Clarksdale, MS

Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School prepares kindergarten through 4th grade students in the Mississippi Delta to excel in high school and college by providing rigorous instruction within a structured, ambitious, and jubilant school community. Clarksdale Collegiate will work relentlessly to achieve its urgent and ambitious mission.

Clay Hill Public Charter School

Baltimore, MD 

A partner school to Patterson Park Public Charter School in Southeast Baltimore, Clay Hill Public Charter School (CHPCS) will open in fall 2020 with a mission to empower the school community through a whole-child approach in a diverse, community-centered learning environment to be stewards of an equitable future. CHPCS strives to build lifelong learners, healthy families, and strong neighborhoods.

Coney Island Preparatory Public Charter School

Brooklyn, NY

Kindergarten through 12th grade students at Coney Island Preparatory Public Charter School develop the academic skills and character necessary for success in selective colleges and universities, and the career of their choice. Students realize success through a rigorous academic program in a supportive and structured school community. The school community is laser-focused on college and career readiness, including many experiences that make this come alive for students.

Eastex-Jensen Classical Academy

Houston, TX

Eastex-Jensen Classical Academy’s program is based on the belief that successful students become successful adults. The core curriculum is formulated to prepare students to succeed in college and beyond. The school places an emphasis on American civics, arts, phonics, and other essential programs. Its priority is to cultivate a lifelong love of learning and virtuous character, within the nurturing context of a 21st Century classical education.

Environmental Charter High School

Lawndale, CA

Environmental Charter High School prepares students for four-year colleges using the environment as a lens for real-life learning. ECS campuses are alive with more than 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, a living stream, school-wide composting, solar-powered greenhouses, garage doors that open up into patio spaces and other sustainability measures that are integrated into the classroom learning environment. Their sites offer a platform to explore campus-wide solutions to current real- world challenges, and the results are students who are prepared for college, motivated to continue learning, and poised to positively contribute to their communities.

Friendship Blow Pierce

Washington D.C.

The mission of Friendship Public Charter School is to provide a world-class education that motivates students to achieve high academic standards, enjoy learning and develop as ethical, literate, well-rounded and self-sufficient citizens who contribute actively to their communities.

Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School

Clarkston, GA

Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School (GFACS) is devoted to empowering refugee and new American students to become independent thinkers, high-achieving scholars, and productive citizens. GFACS will serve students from a low-income, English Language Learner designation, helping address an educational gap for underserved and educationally-disadvantaged students from international backgrounds in the Greater Atlanta area.

Global Community Charter School

New York, NY

Global Community Charter School (GCCS) serves kindergarten through grade 5, preparing students for admission to a challenging secondary education and to exhibit the courage and conviction to make a difference. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, the school utilizes a mix of inquiry and structured curriculum to provide students with the rigor necessary to ensure good outcomes, while allowing them to explore ideas and topics of their choosing.

James Jordan Middle School

Winnetka, CA

James Jordan Middle School is a small learning community for students in grades 6 through 8. The school provides the same challenging standards-based curriculum to a diverse student body with extensive support to ensure the success of all students including underserved groups, such as minorities and socio-economically disadvantaged students.  The school is a nurturing, productive, successful, but intense environment for both students and staff.

KIPP DC High School #2

Washington, DC

KIPP DC schools prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become Washington, D.C.’s next generation of leaders. Equipped with a KIPP DC education, alumni are empowered to be successful in college, career, and life. KIPP DC’s educational philosophy is grounded in a commitment to excellence, equity, and justice.

KIPP Promesa Preparatory

Los Angeles, CA          

KIPP Promesa Prep is a college-preparatory elementary school in East Los Angeles and is part of the national KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network. In Spanish, “promesa” means promise. As a school, Promesa is promising students, families, and the community that a quality education starting in elementary school will provide a better future. Promesa believes that when schools provide an excellent education, they provide the path for students and families to transform communities.

Lowell Community Charter Public School

Lowell, MA

Lowell is a pre-kindergarten through 8th grade school that prides itself on providing a rigorous, consistent, meaningful, and comprehensive curriculum with high expectations and engagement for every student. Lowell exists to graduate creative, confident and independent thinkers, global citizens, and leaders who give back to their community. Students at Lowell strive for excellence in academic achievement and personal conduct within a joyful, supportive culture.

Maritime Academy Charter School

Philadelphia, PA

Maritime Academy Charter School (MACS) provides students in grades 1 through 12 a rigorous academic program with a focus on the theme of maritime studies. MACS students learn maritime content such as nautical science and maritime business, while achieving high standards in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and the Arts. All students take maritime science and navigation oriented coursework at each grade level, with enhanced work in geography and science, technology and engineering.

Mission Achievement and Success Charter Schools

Albuquerque, NM                    

The mission of Mission Achievement and Success Charter Schools (MAS) is to prepare students to be successful in college and the competitive world by providing a rigorous college preparatory program in a safe and effective learning environment. MAS’s primary objective is to instill in students a commitment to high academic achievement, continual goal setting, and principles of personal success.

New York City Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industries

Bronx, NY                    

The mission of AECI is to create a rigorous college prep academic program that provides students with a foundation of the necessary skills, knowledge, and practical experience to pursue a path leading to college and/or a career in the architecture, engineering, or construction industries. AECI’s course offerings provide students with a rigorous college preparatory sequence of classes, and prepare them for success on industry-recognized certification exams.

New York French American Charter School

New York, NY               

New York French American Charter School is a public, pre-kindergarten to 8th grade French immersion school located in Harlem. Its mission is to develop bilingual, bi-literate, global citizens who will be the leaders of tomorrow. The school is located in the "Little Senegal" neighborhood of west-Harlem, and is accessible to the large French-African immigrant population of the south Bronx.  In general, this population is composed of children who have been highly underserved, misunderstood, and often invisible in neighborhood schools.

Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology

Paterson, NJ

The mission of the Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology is to provide a responsive education model that will empower all students, through a standards – equity based academic program founded on expectations for high achievement that will graduate literate, responsible, self-directed citizens who have the core knowledge and skills needed to be successful, contributing members of society.

Tulsa Honor Academy Inc.

Tulsa, OK        

Tulsa Honor Academy Charter School equips all scholars in grades 5 through 9 with the academic skills, content knowledge, and ethical character required for college graduation and life success. Tulsa Honor Academy ensures that 100% of scholars are on a path to go to and graduate from a college of their choice, beginning in the fifth grade. They believe all children, regardless of race, background, or income, can achieve at high levels.