Academic Programming

KIPP STAR is a free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public school where students develop the knowledge, skills, and character needed to succeed in top-quality high schools and colleges and in the competitive world beyond. Some features of KIPP STAR include:

• An average of 67% more time spent in school: Students attend KIPP STAR from 7:25 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:25 until 3:00 on Friday, for four hours every other Saturday, and for three weeks during the summer. The average daily attendance is 98%.
• Two hours of homework each night. Teachers are available for assistance by cell phone.
• Academically-oriented field lessons that bring to life the locations and events KIPP STAR students have studied in the classroom and introduce them to places they have never been. Students visit national parks, historically significant regions throughout the country, and college campuses, as well as destinations in Harlem and elsewhere in New York City. Out-of-state destinations include Utah, California, and Washington, D.C.
• Weekly tests and quizzes designed to monitor students' progress and help teachers identify and address students’ areas of weakness.
• A comprehensive, ongoing staff development program that assists teachers in implementing effective lessons that use a variety of activities to accomplish clearly defined aims and that take different learning styles into account.
• Frequent communication between school staff and students’ parents or guardians about how to support the school's efforts at home.
• 90-minute blocks for reading and math classes.
• Staff social workers who meet with the most at-risk students on a daily basis and with all KIPP STAR students on a regular basis to help them address personal issues.