Charter school in austin: Uh oh. We’re very sorry.
Top 10 Best Austin, TX Public Charter Schools (2023)
School (Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Basis Austin Primary
Charter School
Math: 70-74% | Reading: 70-74%
Rank:
Top 5%
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7600 Woodrow Av
Austin, TX 78757
(737) 263-5890
Grades: K-4
| 213 students
Rank: #22.
Chaparral Star Academy
Charter School
Math: 65-69% | Reading: 75-79%
Rank:
Top 5%
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14046 Summit Dr
Austin, TX 78728
(512) 989-2672
Grades: K-12
| 370 students
Rank: #33.
Valor North Austin
Charter School
Math: 52% | Reading: 65%
Rank:
Top 20%
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14200 N Interstate 35
Austin, TX 78728
(512) 646-4168
Grades: K-8
| 514 students
Rank: #44.
Valor South Austin
Charter School
Math: 47% | Reading: 60%
Rank:
Top 20%
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220 Foremost Dr
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 598-0160
Grades: K-10
| 577 students
Rank: #5 – 85. – 8.
Austin Oaks
Alternative School
Charter School
Math: <50% | Reading: <50%
Rank:
Top 30%
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1407 W Stassney Ln
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 750-0426
Grades: 3-11
| 17 students
Rank: #5 – 85. – 8.
Munday High School
Alternative School
Charter School
Math: <50% | Reading: <50%
Rank:
Top 30%
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4800 Manor Rd
Austin, TX 78723
(512) 997-8872
Grades: 7-12
| 14 students
Rank: #5 – 85. – 8.
The Refuge High School
Alternative School
Charter School
Math: <50% | Reading: <50%
Rank:
Top 30%
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2200 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 750-0426
Grades: 8-11
| 8 students
Rank: #5 – 85. – 8.
Trinity Charter School – Spring Campus
Alternative School
Charter School
Math: <50% | Reading: <50%
Rank:
Top 30%
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2929 Fm 2920
Austin, TX 78754
(512) 706-7566
Grades: 8-11
| 14 students
Rank: #99.
Harmony School Of Endeavor Austin
Charter School
Math: 47% | Reading: 50%
Rank:
Top 30%
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13415 Fm 620 N
Austin, TX 78717
(512) 284-9880
Grades: PK-12
| 819 students
Rank: #1010.
Idea Rundberg College Preparatory
Charter School
Math: 42% | Reading: 48%
Rank:
Top 30%
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9504 N Interstate 35
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 822-4800
Grades: 6-11
| 700 students
Rank: #1111.
Nyos – Magnolia Mccullough Campus
Charter School
Math: 35-39% | Reading: 45-49%
Rank:
Top 50%
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12309 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 275-1593
Grades: PK-5
| 539 students
Rank: #1212.
University Of Texas El Charter School
Charter School
Math: 40-44% | Reading: 40-44%
Rank:
Top 50%
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2200 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 495-3300
Grades: PK-5
| 290 students
Rank: #1313.
Kipp Austin Collegiate Elementary School
Charter School
Math: 30-34% | Reading: 50%
Rank:
Top 50%
Add to Compare
8004 Cameron Rd
Austin, TX 78724
(512) 501-3586
Grades: 9-12
| 756 students
Rank: #1414.
Nyos Charter School
Charter School
Math: 31% | Reading: 51%
Rank:
Top 50%
Add to Compare
12301 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 583-6967
Grades: 6-12
| 538 students
Rank: #1515.
Harmony School Of Science – Austin
Charter School
Math: 30-34% | Reading: 40-44%
Rank:
Top 50%
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11800 Stonehollow Dr
Austin, TX 78758
(512) 821-1700
Grades: PK-5
| 474 students
Rank: #1616.
Travis Hts Elementary School
Charter School
Math: 30-34% | Reading: 35-39%
Rank:
Top 50%
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2010 Alameda Dr
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 414-4495
Grades: PK-5
| 503 students
Rank: #1717.
Magnolia Montessori For All
Charter School
Math: 25-29% | Reading: 40-44%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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5100 Pecan Brook Dr
Austin, TX 78724
(512) 522-2429
Grades: PK-6
| 479 students
Rank: #1818.
Tnc Campus (Texas Neurorehabilitation Center)
Alternative School
Charter School
Math: 30-39% | Reading: 30-39%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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1106 W Dittmar Rd
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 750-0426
Grades: 4-11
| 53 students
Rank: #1919.
Settlement Home
Alternative School
Charter School
Math: ≤20% | Reading: 40-59%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
1600 Payton Gin Rd
Austin, TX 78758
(512) 751-4534
Grades: 7-12
| 39 students
Rank: #2020.
Idea Montopolis College Preparatory
Charter School
Math: 22% | Reading: 42%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
1701 Vargas Rd
Austin, TX 78741
(512) 646-2800
Grades: 6-12
| 792 students
Rank: #2121.
Idea Health Professions College Preparatory
Charter School
Math: 25-29% | Reading: 35-39%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5816 Wilcab Rd
Austin, TX 78721
(956) 377-8000
Grades: 6-7
| 197 students
Rank: #2222.
Austin Discovery School
Charter School
Math: 15-19% | Reading: 45-49%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
9303 Fm 969
Austin, TX 78724
(512) 674-0700
Grades: K-8
| 433 students
Rank: #2323.
Wayside Eden Park Academy
Charter School
Math: 30-34% | Reading: 30-34%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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6215 Menchaca Rd
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 220-9106
Grades: PK-5
| 263 students
Rank: #2424.
The Excel Center (For Adults)
Alternative School
Charter School
Math: <50% | Reading: ≤20%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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1015 Norwood Park Blvd
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 531-5500
Grades: 9-12
| 443 students
Rank: #2525.
Austin Achieve High School
Charter School
Math: 15-19% | Reading: 44%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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7424 E Hwy 290 Building 2
Austin, TX 78723
(512) 522-4190
Grades: 9-12
| 584 students
Rank: #2626.
Kipp Austin Academy Of Arts & Letters
Charter School
Math: 27% | Reading: 32%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
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8509 Fm 969 Bldg A
Austin, TX 78724
(512) 501-3640
Grades: 5-8
| 474 students
Rank: #2727.
Idea Montopolis Academy
Charter School
Math: 26% | Reading: 33%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
1701 Vargas Rd
Austin, TX 78741
(512) 646-2800
Grades: K-5
| 733 students
Rank: #2828.
Idea Bluff Springs College Preparatory
Charter School
Math: 24% | Reading: 34%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
1700 E Slaughter Ln
Austin, TX 78744
(512) 822-4200
Grades: 6-10
| 582 students
Rank: #2929.
Wayside Real Learning Academy
Charter School
Math: 30% | Reading: 28%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
6405 S Ih 35
Austin, TX 78744
(512) 438-7325
Grades: PK-5
| 597 students
Rank: #3030.
Kipp Austin Brave Elementary School
Charter School
Math: 15-19% | Reading: 34%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5107 I 35 S Ste A
Austin, TX 78724
(512) 651-2225
Grades: 9-12
| 703 students
Rank: #3131.
Cedars Academy Next Generation H S At Highland
Charter School
Math: ≤20% | Reading: 21-39%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
6700 Middle Fiskville Rd
Austin, TX 78752
(512) 956-4406
Grades: 9-12
| 116 students
Rank: #3232.
Idea Rundberg Academy
Charter School
Math: 21% | Reading: 28%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
9504 N Interstate 35
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 822-4800
Grades: K-5
| 698 students
Rank: #3333.
Harmony School Of Excellence – Austin
Charter School
Math: 19% | Reading: 30%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
2100 E St Elmo Rd
Austin, TX 78744
(512) 693-0000
Grades: 6-12
| 550 students
Rank: #3434.
Kipp Austin Beacon Prep
Charter School
Math: 22% | Reading: 26%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
5107 I 35 S
Austin, TX 78724
(512) 651-1918
Grades: 5-8
| 477 students
Rank: #3535.
Wayside Altamira Academy
Charter School
Math: 10-14% | Reading: 30-34%
Rank:
Bottom 50%
Add to Compare
10704 Bradshaw Rd
Austin, TX 78744
(512) 220-9105
Grades: PK-5
| 358 students
Show 36 more public schools in Austin, TX (out of 71 total schools)
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UT Charter Schools
On January 26, students from our Methodist Children’s Home (MCH) campus toured the National Museum of the Pacific War (also known as the Nimitz Museum) in Fredericksburg. The group had an hour-long guided tour of the Pacific War Combat Zone and then an hour and a half at the Pacific… read more
On January 20, UT University Charter and UT Elementary kicked off their strategic planning sessions with stakeholders from both districts convening to begin the process. Members from both boards, parents and facility representatives along with classroom and district staff came together to start the process to outline the directions of… read more
As part of a long-standing holiday tradition, the Giver Connection of Kerr County donates handmade quilts for the boys at our Pathways campus. This year, the boys decided to give back and created their own quilt as a thank you for the ladies of the organization. Adopting a theme representing… read more
On Thursday, December 8, the UT Charter School Texas NeuroRehab Campus (TNC) held their annual Art Show. TNC teacher Jamie Reichardt works with her students throughout the semester to create paintings and art projects for the show. All of the art is created by TNC students and it is a… read more
At the end of October, the boys from our Pathfinders campus took a field trip to the Johnson City Zoo. Field trips are important to education because they offer real world experiences that are supported by academic content. On this trip, the students got to see first-hand how tall a… read more
It is very important for students to visit college campuses in their journey to choose a postsecondary program for themselves. Campus visits and tours give students an opportunity to see for themselves the pace and feel of a campus and if it is right for them. Many of the tours… read more
Students at our Helping Hand Home campus were treated to a live webinar with NBA star and children’s book author Stephen ‘Steph’ Curry. Curry read from his new book: I Have a Superpower which is a story that teaches kids you don’t have to be the strongest, fastest, or even… read more
Social Emotional Learning is taught in a variety of ways and our teachers at Methodist Children’s Home have created a way to spread positivity and belonging. As an art project, students decorated and created a pocket or bag that was put on a classroom wall. The next day, students wrote… read more
Celebrate Freedom Week was established in 2003 to highlight the values and ideals on which the United States of America was founded. It coincides with September 17, the date in 1787 when the Constitutional Convention signed the US Constitution. There are a variety of ways each of our schools can… read more
The UT Charter School System is comprised of two distinct charter school districts: UT University Charter School and UT Elementary School, with each district having its own Advisory and Management Board. Those who serve on any school board are required to participate in trainings – trainings that are legislated by… read more
University of Texas at Austin Admission Requirements
Texas is well known for its hot weather. However, we don’t know how hot they are when it comes to academic performance. The University of Texas at Austin is the leading institution in this city with a large student population and high rankings.
Their acceptance rate is below 40% which is a concern for candidates like you who want to study there. We will be strict about the University of Texas at Austin admission requirements to find out why their acceptance rate is so low as opposed to institutions with high acceptance rates .
But before we discuss that, let’s look at the analytics.
According to Travel , UT Austin is known for its unique history of tradition and heritage of athletic achievement in all sports, especially football.
University teams have won 51 national championships since 1949, over 500 student athletes compete in 20 sports programs, and UT athletes have won 13 medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
With this achievement and many more, it becomes clear why they are the best place to study for students.
How hard is it to get into the University of Texas at Austin?
Considering UT Austin’s 39% acceptance rate, you’ll agree that it’s really hard to get into this school.
While this may be the main reason, UT Austin also has a high rating. According to US News , UT Austin is ranked 40th in the world among over 25,000 other universities. Indeed, wonderful.
The answer to this question is peculiar, depending on how well you do in the entrance exams. So let’s get down to business, shall we?
What are the admission requirements for UT Austin?
To enter UT Austin, you must meet the admission requirements. Whether you’re a freshman or a graduate student, you can’t walk into a university and start taking classes.
So, as far as admission requirements are concerned, we will look at the requirements for undergraduate and graduate students.
Undergraduate Admission Requirements
For any student seeking an undergraduate program at UT Austin, you must:
- Submit an online application using Apply Texas application or 9006 College Application 9006 Coalition 005
- Pay an application fee of $75 for local students and $90 for international students.
- Write at least one 500-700 word essay about the school.
- Answer three short answers to query
- Submit high school transcripts with all coursework and class position (GPA must be submitted)
- Submit college transcripts
- Specify test results
There are now several other documents that students (especially international students) must submit. Some of these include the following:
- Permanent Resident Card
- TOEFL / IELTS
- Student Information Form
- Exemption Form
- Affidavit
Before choosing an English test, please read:
IELTS vs. TOEFL: Free Practice Test, Date, Location, Importance
Postgraduate Entry Requirements
the requirements will not necessarily be the same as your bachelor’s degree.
Therefore, as a graduate student, you must:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States.
- Have a GPA of at least 3.0.
- Have evidence of proper preparation for the subject
- Have a TOEFL or IELTS score of
What test scores are required to get into the University of Texas at Austin?
The SAT and ACT are for high school graduates who want to go to university. These two tests are widely accepted as standard requirements for every student.
However, the University of Texas at Austin admission requirements do not require SAT or ACT scores due to the pandemic. Instead, this school evaluates each application in accordance with Texas Education Code Section 51.803.
This code has become the primary criterion for measuring a candidate’s eligibility for admission to UT Austin.
What is the GPA required to get into the University of Texas at Austin?
UT Austin is a school of very high standards. Unlike other universities, they are strongly focused on students who come first in the class. Their commitment to excellence drives them to work with the best students.
According to Preparatory Scholar , you need a GPA of at least 3.83 to get into UT Austin. You begin to understand why the admission rate is so low and the graduation rate is very high.
Can I get admission without taking the SAT or ACT?
SAT and ACT scores are popular assessment tests for freshmen who want to apply to universities like UT. UT Austin recently decided to remove SAT and ACT scores as requirements for evaluating student eligibility.
They currently work with Texas Education Code Section 51.803. A section of this code clearly describes all the measures that the university uses when issuing letters of acceptance to its applicants.
If you have terrible ACT scores, read: 15 Tips to Improve Your ACT Scores
How can I submit transcripts to the University of Texas at Austin?
Transcripts are required for admission to UT Austin. However, UT Austin pays serious attention to who sends the transcript to ensure that there is no forgery of any kind.
For this reason, UT Austin requires your university to send them a copy of your transcript. Your transcript will list your academic record, including any college credits earned.
How long does it take for the admissions committee to evaluate my transcript?
Due to the large number of transcripts that UT Austin reviews, it can take a long time for your transcript to be evaluated after your university has submitted it.
It usually takes about three months to complete this process. You will receive an email notification once the transcript evaluation is complete.
When is the application deadline for the University of Texas at Austin?
Every UT Austin student will usually receive a notification on their MyStatus page after completing the admission requirements.
Students wishing to apply for admission may do so within two periods. Conditions include the following:
- Complete your application by the November 1st deadline and receive your admission decision (or deferral) by February 1st.
- Complete the application by December 1st and receive your final admission decision no later than March 1st.
How to apply to the University of Texas at Austin
Completing your application to UT Austin takes about five steps. These steps include:
Step 1: Launch the application
You could only dream of attending UT when you didn’t meet the admission requirements and apply.
To launch the application, you can visit either the Apply Texas or College Coalition application. After applying, you will receive an email with your UT EID which will give you full access to MyStatus.
Step 2 – Select a program
Selecting a program is an important part of the application process. The program you choose will greatly influence the type of requirements you must meet.
You must select a program in which you received excellent grades in order to improve your application.
Step 3 – Submit Transcripts
One of the admission requirements for the University of Texas at Austin is your transcript. However, the university will not accept a transcript that you mail.
UT Austin requests that the prospective candidate’s school send in all transcripts. Therefore, you should ensure that your school submits a transcript to facilitate your admission process.
Step 4 – Submit required documents
Submitting supporting documents is an important part of applying to UT Austin. You must provide all documents that include, but are not limited to:
- Letters of recommendation
- transcripts
- Extended summary
- Residence Application
- Exemption Form
- Permanent Resident Card
- Student Information Form
Step 5 – Apply
Applying is the last step in getting into UT Austin. You must submit an application in accordance with the established rules before the committee will consider it.
Frequently Asked Questions about University of Texas at Austin Admission Requirements
Is the University of Texas at Austin acceptance rate high?
Of course. Their acceptance rate tells the whole story.
You need a CGPA of 3.83 to get into the University of Texas at Austin. Austin accepts less than 23% of transfer students who apply to transfer.
Given their low adoption rate and competitiveness, this will be difficult to do.
Conclusion
The admission requirements for the University of Texas at Austin are not that hard to meet. Of course, if you want to train with the best, you have to be the best.
I hope your application scales so you can study at UT Austin.
Recommendations
- Texas Monthly – 75 things we love about Texas
- Travel – 10 things prospective students will love at university
- University of Texas – Admissions Office
- Grantham University Overview 2022 Admission Requirements
- Rice University Admission Requirements: SAT, ACT Score
- University of Texas Admissions, Courses, Tuition, Ranking
- University of Florida Admission Requirements
- University of Warsaw: admission requirements, courses
Devastation of schools in segregated areas of the USA.
Families fleeing Chicago’s poor neighborhoods send their children to the same poor and segregated schools they left.
In March 2013, the Chicago Public Schools Authority (CHPS) announced plans to close their elementary school, and Lettrice Sanders and her children protested against it. The president of the local school board in Emmett West, Chicago Sanders began to appear frequently in the media. “My mom was very tough when she was on the news,” says her 16-year-old daughter Brittany. Lettrice and her husband Kenneth did not finish high school. She did not want the school closure to prevent her children from getting an education.
But Emmett and 48 other elementary schools were closed in an unprecedented decision by the Chicago authorities. It was very difficult for the Sanders to find another quality school in Austin, an African-American area of Chicago. They also had other problems. A family of seven lived in a two-room apartment because they couldn’t afford more. This year, about 60 people were killed and injured in Austin due to shootings. So in August 2013, Kenneth Sanders decided it was time to run.
The family packed their bags and traveled to Gary, Indiana, a mostly black city where the schools are in a very poor educational and financial position, but the Sanders could not afford to live in a safer area. “I knew that moving to another state would be a new start for us, and it happened,” said Kenneth Sanders. “Most of us, regardless of our bad situation, wanted our children to have a better life. That’s what I wanted.” Chicago was once a prime destination for African Americans during the Great Migration, but according to experts, the city is now turning out poor black families. In less than two decades, Chicago has lost a quarter of its black population—more than 250,000.
Over the past decade, Chicago schools have lost more than 52,000 black students. This once-predominantly black county is now dominated by Hispanics. Black neighborhoods like Austin have experienced steep drops in enrollment, massive school closures, and budget cuts. The main destination for black families to flee from Chicago are southern cities such as Atlanta and Dallas. But many black refugees are settling in Indiana’s southern suburbs. And, according to the Chicago Reporter’s investigation, their children end up in the same poor and segregated schools they left.
Approximately 15,000 students transferred from predominantly poor and black schools in Chicago over the past 8 years have remained in Illinois. Approximately a third of children are enrolled in school districts, which are mainly children of poor and black parents. The Chicago Reporter notes that the same pattern continues in northwest Indiana. For example, since 2010, there have been only 400 new black students in the district, according to the USCHS. In Indiana, the number of new black students is much higher, but incorrect data does not allow an accurate figure to be determined.
Schools in Illinois and Indiana where African Americans transfer do not receive the necessary funding. The study found that poor black students in these districts of Illinois perform worse than in Chicago. Interim Chicago District Principal Janice Jackson recalled a conversation with a west Chicago principal who was “puzzled” about transferring students to less-quality schools outside the city. According to her, this problem needs to be carefully studied. “There’s no reason for that,” Jackson said. A spokeswoman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the city is taking steps to keep African Americans in the city. “Mayor Emanuel has launched a number of major initiatives to invest in our youth, support local businesses and create jobs in the city’s neighborhoods,” Lauren Markowitz said. She noted expanded mentoring, outreach to African-American youth, and investment in business and shopping corridors in the city’s predominantly black south and west neighborhoods.
But some educators blame city governments for creating hardship for poor African Americans: they closed local schools and psychiatric clinics, they failed to rebuild public housing, dispersing thousands of poor black families across the region, not responding to gun violence, unemployment, and the mortgage crisis in the black community. community. “It’s a policy of cutting back on investment,” said Elizabeth Todd-Breland, who teaches African American history at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “Black families are getting a clear message from city officials: we won’t care for you, and if you keep running away, you’re fine.”
Chicagoans flee to poor small towns.
When Brittany moved to Gary, the abundance of abandoned buildings surprised her. “It was like a desert,” she said. Gary was once advertised by realtors as “the city of the century.” Here was the world’s largest steel plant, which employed tens of thousands of workers. But in the 1950s and 1960s, steel mills closed and were rebuilt. Mass layoffs followed. Then the first black mayor was elected in Gary, and an exodus of white townspeople began. Now tens of thousands of buildings are empty or abandoned. The Sanders family and other former Chicagoans seek shelter in an abandoned city. Northeast Indiana is a major destination for African Americans leaving Cook County. When Brittany settled in Gary, her grandmother, uncle and great-uncle came to visit her.
Gary Native and Charter Council President Denise Comer Dillard first noticed cars with Illinois plates in the 1990s and 2000s, when public housing began to collapse in Chicago. “It was like a locust raid,” she said. Although the number of students in Gary’s public schools is declining, 1,300 out-of-state black students have been enrolled in the last four years. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Terrance Little, principal of the high school Brittany and her 17-year-old brother Ken went to. “They move quickly from place to place, and the kids who live here are used to people moving back and forth.”
School reminds me of Chicago a lot. A close friend of Brittany’s also moved from South Chicago. Another classmate of hers transferred from a charter high school in North Lawndale in the fall. Ken’s classmate transferred from Pullman High School. Little, who requires every out-of-town student to meet him in person, estimates that 10 out of 100 new students are from Chicago. “Now, it’s mostly Chicago,” said Terri Flowers, who moved to Gary in 2000 after living in Englewood and Roseland. Her son and younger brother are in high school with Brittany and Ken. “Everyone here is from Chicago,” she says.
Influx of poor black students into suburban schools.
As African-American families flee Chicago, the percentage of poor black students in the suburbs is rising, worsening the situation of poor school districts. The Chicago Reporter surveyed the 50 Illinois school districts most affected by the transfer of Chicago black students. Most of the districts have been very poorly funded and have been heavily reduced in recent times. (After years of debate, Illinois legislators revised the school funding law earlier this year. To correct the injustice, state officials are promising to transfer more money to districts with the most students.)
High-poverty counties in northwest Indiana, which have taken in many students from Chicago, have also seen budget cuts in recent years as the state’s school funding scheme shifted to more funding for charter and private schools. “If poverty is on the rise in their community and taxes and other budgetary items are falling, it’s very difficult to find resources to address the issues at hand,” said Elizabeth Kneebone, who conducted the suburban poverty study for the Brookings Institution.
In the southern suburbs, the almost all-black school district Dalton 149 has experienced hundreds of transfers from impoverished Chicago schools in recent years. According to officials, the massive enrollment of students makes it difficult for teachers to reach them. In addition, with a small amount of new resources, the level of financial needs is growing. Fifteen years ago, two-thirds of the students in this district were from low-income families, and now almost every student is poor. These students face medical and emotional problems. And because of the constant moving, they lag behind the school curriculum. “We need the same attention as schools in big cities because the problems are the same,” says former auditor Jay Cannin, who now advises the district on financial matters. “We are overwhelmed by some of the needs that children bring.”
Gary Orfield of the University of California Civil Rights Project says moving poor students to segregated suburban schools creates additional problems for students. “Children of poor minorities and families who end up in dying suburbs are in a bad position, as they are far from places with economic growth,” says Orfield. “They can be 30 miles from a really good job market, in a place with virtually no public transportation.” Some of the former Chicago students also end up in abandoned suburbs.
Danville School District 118 is 150 miles from downtown Chicago and has also taken in hundreds of Chicago students from segregated black and poor schools. 15 years ago, only half of the students were considered low-income, now there are three-quarters of them. This brought additional problems. The district recently hired specialists from Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital to train school staff to deal with injured students and funded a summer school for troubled children. “Our children, they have experienced adversity,” said educator Alicia Geddis. “We need a rebuild.”
The Gary School District is facing similar challenges.
Although there is gun violence in Gary, the Sanders family feels safer than in Austin. It is quiet and close to the local university and shops. “You can just walk down the street and no one will bother you,” Brittany said. Kenneth Sanders borrowed money from his friend to buy a white, single-family home for $13,000. The house was taken from the previous owner by the bank for non-payment of the mortgage. This house is much larger than their old Chicago apartment, where they separated the room with a curtain to create an extra bedroom.
Sanders started breeding German Shepherds. He posts photos of his 12-year-old daughter Yashika with dogs on Facebook. In Chicago, he made money in a completely different way – he sold cocaine for several years. The turning point came in 2010 when he was sent to the Cook County Jail for possession of marijuana and weapons. But while the Sanders speak well of Gary, they see big problems in the schools. This year, for the first time in Indiana history, the Gary School District was led by state officials. The state-appointed emergency manager said that Gary’s schools needed to be cleaned up, made safer and improved.
Public schools went into debt as students left Gary and moved to charter schools, reducing federal and local funding. Even charter board president Dillard says charters are putting financial pressure on public schools. “The fact that we have so many charter schools in Gary,” she said, “is ridiculous.” The budget crisis has different effects on students. Brittany carries hand sanitizer to school because there is no soap in the girls’ toilets. Yashika shares most of her textbooks with her classmates because not everyone has textbooks. Brittany, Yashika, and their younger brother Kentrel were forced to transfer to an all-boys school when the heating boiler in their elementary school broke down and the school was closed for 17 months.
In Gary, the Sanders again faced school closures and teacher layoffs. When Ken Middle School closed, the children were transferred to Yashiki Elementary School. More recently, emergency school superintendent Gary has curtailed popular art classes. Brittany and Ken’s principal says school closures hit Chicago more than Gary because kids in small towns know each other better. But Brittany disagrees. She says it harms all the students. “They are closing all schools in poor and black areas. And it’s getting worse,” she said. – “It worked for me. But some kids probably won’t be able to move, they’ll just be stuck.”
“We need our education.”
One October, Brittany and Ken took the bus to the Leadership Academy in Chicago West, their old school. Brittany tied her hair into a ponytail and put on her school uniform: a blue shirt and khaki trousers. Ken, who wears glasses like his father, donned a blue uniform with gold buttons. Children participated in seminars and sports activities under the supervision of teachers. Ken gave a talk on how to become a leader. After class, the teachers allowed the children to play for 20 minutes. “Sometimes it gets really boring,” Ken said.
His English Language and Literature class went to the computer lab for a week, where students did exercises on computers in reading and basic parts of speech. “It’s for toddlers,” Ken said. He especially dislikes the way a female voice in a computer program says “how slow we are.” Brittany and Ken’s biology teacher was replaced by an assistant for a long time, as often happens. Most of the time the assistant just read the textbook aloud. “She told us she was studying with us,” Ken said.
Brittany wants to become a neurosurgeon, so having a qualified biology teacher is important to her. A few weeks ago, she signed a collective letter to the principal and assistant director of the school, asking them to solve this problem. This letter was signed by 60 other students, including Ken. Brittany’s mother, who had a heart attack two years ago and still doesn’t speak well, praised her children for signing this letter.