ASPIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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Mission Statement
In 1998, Aspire set out to open and operate small, high-quality charter schools in low-income neighborhoods in order to increase the academic performance of underserved students, develop effective educators, share successful practices with other forward-thinking educators, and catalyze change in public schools nationwide. More than twenty years later, our focus remains the same. Our schools are free, public schools serving grades TK-12 with a clear focus on College For Certain, even for our youngest scholars. We are guided by our core values - Bienestar (Well-being), Culture of Belonging, Community Partnership, Agency + Self-determination, and Joy - and relentlessly pursue more equitable outcomes for our scholars and communities.
About This Cause
Aspire Public Schools was founded by Don Shalvey and Reed Hastings in 1998. Since that time, Aspire has grown significantly, opening and operating 36 campuses in seven California communities, serving over 15,300 scholars. Aspire's mission emphasizes building highly personalized, high-quality, small schools that provide an alternative to failing schools. Aspire seeks to provide a choice for families and communities that would otherwise not have access to high-quality education, particularly in communities where the vast majority of students are low-income. In the 2020-2021 school year, Aspire’s population included 96% students of color. 80% of Aspire scholars qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch, 11% receive Special Education support, and 25% of our scholars speak a language other than English at home. Having started as one school and now having grown to a statewide charter management organization, we know there are common threads that run through all our schools that are reflected by our core values of Bienestar (Well-being), Culture of Belonging, Community Partnership, Agency + Self-determination, and Joy. We also know, and have seen amplified by the dual pandemic of health and racial justice, that each of our regions has unique needs that we must respond to with intention and urgency. When decisions are made, they are done so with deep understanding and attention to how they will impact all Aspire scholars within their individualized and community-based contexts.