The Opportunity Gap

College is crucial. We believe a Bachelor’s degree should be within reach for every young person in this nation.

Still today, too many students in low-income school districts struggle to get to and through college because they don’t have the same opportunities as students in wealthier neighborhoods. Every morning, the doors of our schools open to defy this injustice and to celebrate the achievement we know is possible.

Horace Mann, one of the founders of American public education, believed that building “common schools” for the nation’s young people was the single most powerful way to bring about a society of equals.

We recognize that today, it takes uncommon schools to truly achieve equality.  Since our first school opened in 1997, Uncommon Schools has shown that the most revolutionary teaching practices are not happening in the suburbs or elite private schools. They’re happening in urban districts like ours. Every day we challenge our own ingenuity and mettle, and that of our scholars. Along the way, we celebrate the tenacious effort that leads to true achievement – and ultimately, to a college diploma.