Ok here goes my thoughts:
My kids are at kipp- one in elementary and one in an all girls middle school.
The area is terrible. Freaking horrible, whatever I looked past that, but the fact that there is meth heads and druggies loitering around the gate is a little scary.
They promised my middle schooler tons of opportunities HOWEVER they have used every excuse and gone back on that, kids don't pay fees, kids are talking at lunch, kids being kids. The middle school she attended did not have a big trip this year while other kipp middle schools did. I find this extremely unfair. They have kids fundraising and don't meet the financial goals so they don't get a trip. They blamed funding. Well if they are underfunded how about kipp STOP opening new schools.
They use every opportunity to nickel and dime students at a dance a parent donated mini brownies and they sold those to the students for a quarter. And yes that was a dance for the kids who earned it by academic excellence. Disgusting school preying on the pockets of poor parents. It was maybe $20 in brownie profit.
Despite that I left my kids one more year, and promised id be more involved and I have been beyond upset every step of the way. Teachers quitting and getting fired left and right, students being expelled for not doing homework days before state testing (in case you ever wondered how they keep their test scores up) at the elementary a kid took a gun to school and the kid was not expelled until the parents of the classmates complained.
I think the idea was good and the curriculum is great however they are not all created equal - not at all. Chances are you will get wait listed this year to the school you want and then a shit school like the all boys/girls school will call and say they have room. Not worth it.
Also no sports or extra curricular activities- the Texans donated money to make a track and kipp made a sad excuse for one and I assume pocketed the money.
This is the last year my kids will be at kipp. Back to humble isd for them.
I'm really upset after taking my muddle schooler lunch today and seeing she had the same lunch amount as my kinder student so give me a few and I'll come back a little more positive feel free to ask any questions