Last week, we celebrated a lot! We celebrated our first graduating class from GEO Next Generation High School Baton Rouge. We celebrated our first graduating class of kindergartners from GEO Prep Baker. And, we celebrated GEO’s 10th Anniversary working in Baton Rouge.
These celebrations were special and significant!
Each of the 46 kindergartners (pictured above right) who graduated from GEO Prep Baker met or exceeded their academic growth goals and are well on their way to a successful elementary and future high school career. Their college career could start as early as 9th grade for them. That’s the plan!
Our 68 seniors who graduated, didn’t just complete high school. Many completed some college, too. Nearly 40% earned a full year of college and 10% earned a full associate degree (picture above left). The Class of 2023, as a whole, earned more than $1.5 million in college scholarships, too. They are headed off to LSU, Xavier, University of Louisiana, Southern University and many others. Many received full ride scholarships.
Come to GEO for kindergarten, stay for college.
Think of the economic and social impact we are having and can have in the future. In 2019, less than one third of one percent of high school students (159 out of more than 42,000 seniors) in the entire state of Louisiana earned an associate degree before graduating from high school. We had 10% of our inaugural graduating class do that. Our goal is to reach 100%. Can we produce more than the state as a whole? Yes!
We served 198 kindergartners this year alone. And, we are growing. Will each earn a full associate degree by the time they graduate in 2035? That’s our goal!
Students earning an associate degree while in high school are more employable right out of high school and are more likely to finish a bachelor’s degree. Either choice they make–employment or enrollment–means they will earn more in their lifetimes. That’s good for them. That’s good for the state!
More employable Louisiana citizens means more tax revenue for the state, and less drain on the state’s tax-funded services. That’s worth celebrating, too.
And that’s what we did last week over dinner with a panel discussion featuring GEO friends and supporters (pictured below, left to right) Ken Campbell, CEO of New Schools for Baton Rouge, Chris Meyer, CEO of Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Max Daigh, Assistant Superintendent, Office of School Choice with the Louisiana Department of Education, Caroline Roemer, Executive Director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, Kara Maggiore, CEO of New Schools for Louisiana, and Linda Johnson, our board chair.
We are grateful for our friends and the opportunity to serve. Join us. You will be glad you did.
Sincerely,
Kevin Teasley
Founder & President
GEO Foundation
