Shawgi Tell, author of Charter School Report Card, shares news of yet another charter school failure.
Two Atlanta, Georgia charter schools that are part of the notorious KIPP Charter Schools Network (KIPP Soul Primary School and KIPP Soul Academy) will be closing at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. At least 122 staff will lose their jobs and hundreds of stunned parents and students will be forced to fend for themselves as they scramble frantically to find another school.
As is usually the case with charter school failures, “Parents say they were caught off guard by the timing” of the closures. Mary Harris, a parent, said, “It is a struggle to see where my child is going to go.” A student, Milani Bell, said, “They [KIPP] need to support and not close down our school because it’s affecting our education and our lifestyles.” Unfortunately, more deregulated charter schools are now closing with greater speed, frequency, and consequences. Instability and anarchy appear to be increasing with each passing year.
KIPP school officials nonchalantly repeated standard hackneyed statements such as “closing the schools was a difficult decision” and “we will help everyone through the transition phase.” This is little consolation for the hundreds affected by such poorly-managed charter schools.
In related news, two months ago KIPP announced that it will be closing seven charter schools in its Texas network of privately-operated schools, leaving thousands of teachers, students, parents, education support staff, and principals out in the cold.