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About KIPP Columbus

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of free, open-enrollment, public schools.

There are 280 KIPP schools across the country in 50 different communities who prepare students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all.

KIPP Columbus is the only KIPP school in Ohio and educates more than 2,000 students K-12 on a 150+ acre campus in Northeast Columbus.

Mission & Vision

Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose – college, career, and beyond – so they can lead fulfilling lives and create a more just world.

KIPP Columbus will create a system of schools where students develop the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to understand and take action on issues they encounter in everyday life. By establishing rigorous, safe, joyful, and personalized learning environments, KIPP Columbus will foster a culture of responsibility and service, empowering all students to become active and engaged citizens as they shape their futures and positively affect their communities.

History

KIPP Columbus opened in 2008 with 50 students in the 5th grade in a leased building from the local school district – Columbus City Schools. Driven by a desire to enroll students at a younger age and expand to serve additional grades, in 2014, KIPP Columbus built a campus reflective of our students’ potential and aspirations on the grounds of a former golf course in Northeast Columbus. The KIPP Columbus campus now educates more than 2,000 students in grades K-12.

In our growth, KIPP remains committed to creating joyful and academically excellent schools. For the most recent 3 years KIPP has earned the Ohio Department of Education Momentum Award for surpassing student academic growth goals and 100% of our first three classes of seniors (class of 2020, 2021,2022) graduated on track and on time (with 100% accepted to college and/or military service) earning more than $40 million in scholarships. As we return from the pandemic, we have seen incredible growth in our early literacy (K-2) programming with 84% of kindergarten, 82% of first grade, and 72% of second grade students ending the 2022-2023 school year on grade level — the highest results in KIPP Columbus history.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with more than 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, mental health services, an onsite Nationwide Children’s Hospital health clinic, 10 varsity sports, free summer camps & programming, and more.

KIPP Columbus Campus

KIPP Columbus has built a state-of-the-art, cost-effective, and innovative 150+ acre campus, equipped with the latest technology that will advance student learning, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide.

KIPP Columbus is growing with a new KIPP Columbus Primary set to open in fall of 2023 and a new KIPP Columbus Elementary in fall of 2024 — this growth will allow KIPP to nearly double the number of students educated on campus.

Spring 2013

Begin construction of the new KIPP Columbus Campus

August 2014

KIPP Columbus Elementary and KIPP Columbus Middle open educating ~1,200 students in grades 2-8

August 2016

KIPP Columbus Primary opens educating 360 K-1 students and an Early Learning Center run by a partner opens educating nearly 150 infant – preK students.

August 2017

KIPP Columbus High opens educating nearly 450 students grades 9-12. Attached to KIPP Columbus High is the Battelle Environmental Center, supporting K-12 STEM education on campus.

Fall 2019

The Athletics & Wellness complex opens supporting extracurricular activities, athletics, and community events.

May 2020

KIPP Columbus campus is fully built out with the first class of graduating seniors (100% of whom graduated on track and on time despite an international pandemic).

Fall 2023

New KIPP Columbus Primary building opens, allowing the expansion of grades K-1 to support more than 500 students.

Fall 2024

New KIPP Columbus Elementary building opens, allowing the nearly doubling in size of grades 2-5.

2024 and Beyond

KIPP Columbus continues to expand grades in the K-12 continuum nearly doubling the size of our learning community to nearly 4,000 students.

Board of Directors

KIPP Columbus Board of Directors meets regularly throughout the school year. Board meetings occur at 7:30am on the KIPP Columbus Campus. Upon arrival at the gate, the KIPP Columbus Security team will direct you to the location of the meeting on campus.

Board of Directors:

Yvette McGee Brown, Chair
Aimee Kennedy, Vice Chair
Poe Timmons, Finance Committee Chair
Trudy Bartley
Donald Brown
Stuart Burgdoerfer
Joe Chlapaty
Michael B. Coleman
Chief Judge Algenon Marbley
Abigail Wexner

Upcoming Meetings

October 16, 2024
December 3, 2024
February 4, 2025
March 4, 2025
April 1, 2025
May 6, 2025

All meetings take place at 2860 Community Drive in the KIPP Columbus Primary library unless otherwise noted.

Public Participation

Thank you for your interest in sharing your thoughts and ideas with the KIPP Columbus Board of Directors. Any person or group wishing to place an item on the Board agenda shall register their intent with the Superintendent by contacting them HERE no later than (1) day prior to the meeting and include the name and address of the participant; group affiliation, if and when appropriate; and topic to be addressed. Such requests shall be subject to the approval of the Superintendent and the Board Chair.

The Chair at each Board meeting at which public participation is permitted shall administer the rules of the Board for its conduct. The Chair shall be guided by the following rules:

Attendees must register their intent to participate in the public portion of the meeting upon their arrival to the meeting.
Participants must be recognized by the Board Chair before speaking and must first announce the following:
- Name
- Address
- Group affiliation (KIPP family member, member of the community, etc.)
Each participant is limited to 5 minutes with the total time for public participation limited to 30 minutes.
All statements are to be directed to the KIPP Columbus Board Chair (Donald Brown), no person may address or ask questions to Board members individually.
Tape of video recordings are permitted, provided the person operating the recorded has received approval from the Superintendent prior to the Board meeting and agrees to the placement of the equipment and to abide by the following conditions:
- No obstructions are created between the Board and the audience.
- No interviews are conducted in the meeting room while the Board is meeting.
The Board Chair may interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant’s statement when it is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant. Additionally, participants may be asked to leave the meeting should reasonable decorum not be observed.

Compliance Items

KIPP Columbus DPIA & SWSF Plan Wellness Policy USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

Mission
History
Campus
Board