Uncommon Schools is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 that starts and manages urban charter public schools that prepare low-income students to graduate from college. Uncommon develops and manages regional networks that are philosophically aligned, and currently manages 24 schools in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, upstate New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, Newark, New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

, and Boston, Massachusetts. The group plans to manage 38 schools, serving nearly 14,000 K through 12th grade students.

History

The organization first supported the creation of North Star Academy Charter School

North Star Academy Charter School

North Star Academy Charter School of Newark is a charter school located in Newark, New Jersey that educates students in grades ranging from Kindergarten to 12th...

 of Newark, which opened in 1997. In 2005, Uncommon formalized its mission as a charter management organization with the goal of starting and managing schools that create college prep opportunities for low-income children.

Schools

Uncommon manages six regional networks of schools:

• Preparatory Charter Schools, MA
• Excellence Charter Schools, NY
• North Star Academy Charter Schools, NJ
• Collegiate Charter Schools, NY
• True North Public Schools, NY
• Leadership Charter Schools, NY

Results

New York

2010 Math Exam Highlights:

• Uncommon’s students reversed the racial and economic achievement gaps in Math, outperforming the state’s White and non low-income students by wide margins
• Uncommon ranked in the top 10% of all NYS school district
  School district
  School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
  
  s and charter management organizations in 3rd – 8th grade Math
• Uncommon ranked #1 in 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Math among all predominantly low-income NYS school districts and charter management organizations with more than 1000 test-takers

2010 English Language Arts Exam Highlights:

• Uncommon’s students outperformed the state average in ELA
• Uncommon ranked in the top 4% of all NYS school districts and charter management organizations in 8th grade ELA
• Uncommon ranked #1 in 3rd, 7th, and 8th grade ELA among all predominantly low-income NYS school districts and charter management organizations with more than 1000 test-takers

New Jersey

On September 9th, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Arne Duncan

Arne Duncan is an American education administrator and currently United States Secretary of Education. Duncan previously served as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.-Early years and personal:...

 recognized Uncommon Schools’ North Star Academy as a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School. The highest award bestowed by the Department, it honors 304 public and private elementary

Elementary school

An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

, middle

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

, and high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

s that demonstrate the highest student achievement in their respective states and/or have closed the achievement gap.

The 2010 NJASK results revealed North Star Academy’s award-winning performance.

• North Star’s 5th – 8th grade students outperformed the state averages in both Math and ELA.
• North Star’s 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students reversed the racial achievement gap by outperforming the state’s White students in both Math and ELA.

Massachusetts

Roxbury Prep showed strong results in line with its performance over the past eleven years on the 2010 MCAS.

• Roxbury Prep’s 6th – 8th grade students outperformed the state averages in both Math and ELA.
• Roxbury Prep’s 6th – 8th grade students reversed the racial achievement gap in Math by outperforming the state’s White students
• 100% of Roxbury Prep’s 8th grade class passed the Math and ELA exams, scoring Advanced or Proficient at a rate of 82% and 93% respectively, exceeding the state’s White student averages by wide margins