2024 CSGF Seed Cohort

Durham Charter School (DCS) is the first public charter school in North Carolina, striving to support students in developing a strong sense of character and healthy habits to prepare them for life beyond DCS. The school plans to expand to a high school model that allows all 11th and 12th graders to select either a college preparation or vocational pathway and pursue credit for a 4-year degree or certifications in highly sought-after technical career paths. Today, DCS stands as the third highest-performing charter school in Durham, based on overall proficiency. The school is led by Alexander Quigley, who says he is “inspired every day to meet DCS’ mission to build a world-class K-12 in Durham for students who have historically had few excellent educational opportunities.” DCS will further expand its impact as it welcomes new and returning scholars, moving to its new campus in 2025.

Arkansas Arts Academy (AAA) is the only K-12 arts integration school in the state of Arkansas, and their model is focused on preparing students for college and careers in the arts through an innovative, arts-integrated curriculum that fosters creative exploration and innovative thinking.  Dr. Allison Roberts, the CEO and superintendent, is fueled by the opportunity to provide hands-on experiences to students as they explore the intersection of art and core content areas. She says, “Arkansas Arts Academy offers students the ability to explore relationships within all subject areas and use the arts as a way to solidify the learning and demonstrate mastery. Arts integration provides students the insight to understand that all knowledge is interconnected which accelerates critical thinking and innovation.” Arkansas Arts Academy engages the community by partnering with local art organizations, parents, and family members. AAA is broadening its impact by adding students to their middle school to create a larger pipeline for their high school in Fall 2025.

Math, Engineering, and Science Academy Charter High School  (MESA) strives to ensure that graduates internalize the connection between academic excellence, perseverance, and economic opportunity, empowering them to assert control over their professional futures. MESA has heavily invested in opportunities that expose students to new experiences that prepare them for life beyond high school, including internships and study abroad opportunities that MESA hopes teach students to adapt, seek support, and build confidence that translates to other areas of life. Pagee Cheun and Arthur Samuels, co-founders and executive directors shared, “After eleven years leading MESA, we can see the difference we have made. We have graduates who tell us every day how the trajectory of their lives was altered by coming to MESA. It’s one thing when the impact is abstract; to see it come to life is completely different. It’s inspiring, energizing, and deeply humbling. And it drives us to do more.” MESA is opening a second high school in Fall 2025.

Central Queens Academy Charter Schools (CQA) is designed to serve the immigrant families of the growing Elmhurst Queens neighborhood in New York City. Their model focuses on inclusion through personalized and targeted teaching. Led by Ashish Kapadia, CQA is rooted in a belief that education is equal parts knowledge and character. CQA nurtures the whole child through social-emotional learning in concert with scholarship at the highest level. This approach has successfully resulted in CQA’s middle school becoming the highest-performing charter middle school in Queens. Kapadia says, “Being able to emphasize care for the community, quality of character, and achievement through academics as we build out our schools is what inspires us.” CQA will open another K-8 school in the Fall of 2024.

Kwenda Collegiate Girls Charter School (Kwenda) aims to provide the knowledge, skills, and habits for girls in Brooklyn to go wherever they choose to in life – from college to the boardroom, even to the White House. Kwenda, which means “go” in Swahili, was created by girls, mothers, and community stakeholders in East Flatbush, Brooklyn in New York City with the belief that girls deserve spaces of joy – where they can see, learn, and grow into the next generation of changemakers. Christina Yi-Perry, the Founder and Executive Director, is inspired to “do this work because I want every girl to have a fair shot at success.” Yi-Perry deeply believes that “when a girl is equipped with an excellent education, she unlocks a multitude of choices for her own trajectory. Every day, we strive to co-create, in partnership with young people and educators, a school that catalyzes freedom, joy, care, and curiosity.” Kwenda plans to open its middle school in Fall 2025.

Grounded in a commitment to utilizing adventure, joy, and challenge, Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School (Launch) is the only charter school in New York City’s Outward Bound school network. As an Expeditionary Learning school, Launch is dedicated to putting students at the center of their learning, pairing rigorous academic content with real-world experiences. Geoffrey Roehm, Co-founder and Executive Director says, “As a kid, I always loved school. I loved my teachers, and I felt like they cared about me…every kid deserves to have that same feeling and that same experience. I stay in the work because I feel proud to be an educator and I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Now in its twelfth year, Launch is working in close partnership with educational non-profits and industry stakeholders to spearhead the creation of a learning ecosystem to offer a one-of-a-kind place-based learning experience, focused on environmental sustainability, career readiness, and food justice. They are growing to expand to a high school in Fall 2025.

Novus SMART Academy (NSA), led by CEO and Founder Jeremy Sager, hopes to reimagine learning for scholars and families in Smyrna, TN. When asked why he was inspired to do this work, Sager said, “As a first-generation college graduate who grew up in a blended family, I was taught the value of education and the weight it carries as a Black man. Because I understand the nuances of growing up as a Black boy in today’s society, I was inspired to design and lead a school that caters to the unique needs of underserved families.” He goes on to say that NSA will “ensure that scholars and families, teachers and school leaders, and staff and community members are known, loved, and respected, first, for who they are as humans.” Through various learning approaches and a two-teacher-per-classroom model, NSA will provide students with high-quality academic instruction that fosters a love for learning, embraces innovation and creativity, and encourages personal growth. NSA will open with kindergartners in the Fall of 2025.

In 2012, PODER Academy (PODER) launched the first charter school in Cheyenne, Wyoming. PODER, which translates to “to be able,” embodies its vision to achieve academic excellence and postsecondary success for all students, especially students of color and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The foundation of PODER’s college prep program is rigorous academics, extracurriculars like chess and tennis, and dual enrollment classes with the local community college. Marcos Martinez, CEO and founder, is inspired by his students, sharing, “My goal when entering the field of education was to prepare students for college by creating a college preparatory atmosphere where students could thrive and achieve. My faith in underserved communities keeps me in this work because I do believe that education is the great equalizer.” In 2020, the U.S. Department of Education recognized PODER as a National Blue Ribbon School for being among the state’s highest-performing schools as measured by the state assessment. PODER is expanding their enrollment across all grades in Fall 2024.

Western Youth Leadership Engagement and Empowerment School (WYLEES) was created to honor the downtown Las Vegas community’s desire for a high-quality neighborhood school. Led by Michael Taack, a long-time Las Vegas educator, the founding team has spent the last few years engaged in community building, research, planning, school visits, and fellowship experiences to design a school that incorporates student and family voices. Micheal says, “What motivates me more than anything is knowing what an incredible impact our school will have in the lives of our students, their families, and our community…what keeps me going in this work is the idea of how life-changing our model will be for students and my curiosity about what the future holds for WYLEES.” WYLEES plans to use student-centered Project Based Learning (PBL) to develop rigorous, relevant, real-world learning experiences to both facilitate students’ mastery of grade-level academic content and to help them acquire the skills needed to be competitive in a rapidly changing world. WYLESS will open its middle school in Fall 2025.

Unparalleled Preparatory Academy (UPA) hopes to create a future where students are empowered to overcome obstacles, find their passion, and chart a course to unparalleled success. Shonqualla West, founder and Superintendent, shared, “As a first-generation high school and college graduate, I know firsthand the transformative power of education. Amazing people helped me actualize my dreams, and this inspired me to create UPA. I am driven by the chance to provide students with the support and guidance that can change their lives. Our innovative model, which combines career immersion, design thinking, and leadership development, excites me every day.” Through a community-driven vision and research-backed methodologies, UPA will pave the way for a brighter, more promising future for all of its students, embodying the essence of its core values: service, opportunity, access, and relationships. Unparalleled Preparatory Academy will open its middle school in Fall 2025.