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UNCOMMON SCHOOLS INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 311488698 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE B90 · Education · Very Large (>$50M) · uncommonschools.org
revenue
$88.8M
expenses
$88.2M
net assets
$89.5M
employees
451
volunteers
13
program ratio
76%
mission · from form 990

UNCOMMON SCHOOLS STARTS AND OPERATES OUTSTANDING URBAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT CLOSE THE COLLEGE COMPLETION GAP AND PREPARE STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES TO GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE. UNCOMMON SCHOOLS SERVES OVER 20,000 STUDENTS IN 52 SCHOOLS IN NEWARK AND CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK CITY AND ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, AND BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. UNCOMMON SCHOOLS ALSO FURTHERS THIS MISSION BY DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOOLS AND TRAININGS WHICH UNCOMMON SCHOOLS MAKES AVAILABLE TO ITS SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS OTHER PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS AND DISTRICTS. UNCOMMON SCHOOLS ALSO DEVELOPS, MANAGES, AND MAINTAINS REAL ESTATE FOR LEASE TO SCHOOLS WITHIN ITS NETWORK, AND MANAGES PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS IN NEW YORK CITY.

profile · synthesized from sources

Uncommon Schools operates 52 public charter schools serving over 20,000 students in low-income communities across Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, and Rochester. The organization focuses on preparing students for college success through rigorous academics, character development, and comprehensive college counseling. It also shares its instructional practices nationally through professional development, books, and curriculum resources.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

AI Literacy Program
Curriculum teaching students to critically engage with artificial intelligence, emphasizing ethical use and student autonomy
College Preparatory High Schools
Rigorous high school program with AP courses and college counseling to prepare students for college success
High School Curriculum Hub
Open-access online resource providing ready-to-use AP course materials for high school educators nationwide
Professional Development Workshops
Training programs for educators on instructional techniques, data-driven teaching, and school leadership
To and Through College
Comprehensive college counseling and alumni support program that helps students apply to and graduate from college
activities · 10 groups

What they do

  • Teacher Professional Development 3 activities
    • Provide professional development for educators
      Delivers ongoing professional development through annual summer institutes, weekly coaching, classroom observations, feedback cycles, and weekly one-on-one sessions between educators and instructional leaders to improve teaching quality.
    • Scale instructional practices through external training and resources
      Trains external school leaders and teachers through workshops and has reached 25 million students through its training programs; provides open-access curriculum resources and publishes instructional blogs to support educators nationally.
    • Train educators in responsible AI use
      Provides professional development training for teachers across the network in responsible AI use through partnerships with MagicSchool to improve instructional effectiveness.
  • Special Education Support Services 1 activity
    • Deliver specialized instruction and support for students with disabilities
      Provides remedial instruction, small group teaching, data-driven curricular modifications, and related services such as speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavioral services, counseling, and transportation for students with disabilities.
  • Charter School Facilities Support 1 activity
    • Manage real estate for school facilities
      Develops, manages, and maintains real estate properties leased to schools within the Uncommon Schools network to support long-term facility needs.
  • Comprehensive Student Enrichment Programs 1 activity
    • Offer academic and extracurricular enrichment programs
      Provides elective courses in robotics, African-American literature, creative writing, computer coding, and business, along with after-school programs in debate, literary publishing, musical theater, and athletics at state and national levels, and offers an AI Literacy class culminating in a student declaration of independence on AI.
  • Early Childhood Education & Development Programs 1 activity
    • Operate pre-kindergarten programs in New York City
      Manages pre-kindergarten programs in New York City as part of its early education offerings.
  • Charter School Operations 1 activity
    • Operate public charter schools for underserved students
      Operates 52 free public charter schools serving over 20,000 students in low-income communities across New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts, with 85% of students classified as economically disadvantaged.
  • College Access and Success Support 1 activity
    • Provide college access and post-secondary support
      Supports college access and success for graduates, including full-tuition scholarship placements through QuestBridge and sustained post-secondary advising; over 1,000 students are sent to college annually, with 96% of graduates since 1997 accepted to two- or four-year institutions.
  • Summer Academic Enrichment Programs 1 activity
    • Run a residential summer camp for middle-grade students
      Operates Camp Uncommon, a two-week residential summer program for students in grades 4–9 to support academic and personal development.
  • Educator Conferences & Professional Development Events 1 activity
    • Train school leaders and operations staff
      Hosts an annual two-day leadership retreat for all network school leaders and an annual Operations Institute to train operations leaders in people management and operational best practices.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Author and disseminate instructional best practices
      Authored and published influential books such as "Teach Like a Champion" and "Driven by Data," which have reached over 2 million educators and millions of students globally, with translations into multiple languages.
    • Conduct research on AI integration in education
      Conducts ongoing research with staff to identify appropriate ways to incorporate AI technology to improve operational efficiency and educational effectiveness across the network.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$88.77M
Contributions & grants$20.82M23%
Program service revenue$63.48M72%
Investment income$2.94M3%
Other revenue$1.53M
expenses
Total expenses$88.17M
Program expenses76%
Admin / overhead21%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$47.12M
Grants paid out$12.39M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$294.44M
Cash$64.84M
Investments$164.08M
Liabilities$204.97M
Net assets$89.47M
Liquid reserves31.2 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -1.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 10
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JULIE JACKSON CO-CEO/ EX-OFFICIO 40 $807K
BRETT PEISER CO-CEO/ EX-OFFICIO 41 $738K
PAUL BAMBRICK CHIEF SCHOOLS OFFICER (UNTIL 4/25) 40 $375K
SUSAN POLLOCK CHIEF REAL ESTATE OFFICER 40 $351K
JULIANA WORRELL CHIEF SCHOOLS OFFICER K-8 40 $349K
JOHN POWELL CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 40 $329K
LAURA LEE MCGOVERN CHIEF ADVISOR (UNTIL 1/2025) 40 $310K
MARY ANN VILLANUEVA CHIEF EXTERNAL OFFICER 40 $297K
PRIAM DUTTA CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER 40 $294K
MICHAEL BLAKE CHIEF OF OPERATIONS FOR SCHOOLS 40 $289K
board members · 13
  • ALLISON BLITZER — DIRECTOR
  • CECILY CARSON — DIRECTOR
  • CHRIS AUGUSTE — DIRECTOR
  • DONALD KATZ — DIRECTOR
  • GAURAV KAPADIA — DIRECTOR
  • LAURA BLANKFEIN — DIRECTOR
  • NORMAN ATKINS — DIRECTOR
  • ROBERT KARR — DIRECTOR
  • ROBERT MARCUS — VICE CHAIR
  • RONDO MOSES — DIRECTOR
  • SCOTT MILLS — DIRECTOR
  • VANDANA RADHAKRISHNAN — DIRECTOR
  • WILLIAM LEWIS JR — CHAIRMAN
relationships · 90

Who they work with

  • ADA Government — Complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act in serving students with disabilities.
  • Amherst College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Barnard College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Bates College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Bennett College for Women Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Boston College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Boston University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Bowdoin College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Brown University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Bryn Mawr College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Bucknell University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • CUNY York College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Carleton College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Carnegie Mellon Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Change Summer Partner — Partnered with Uncommon Schools to create Camp Uncommon.
  • Clark Atlanta University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Colgate University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Columbia University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Cornell University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Dartmouth College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Davidson College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • DePauw University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Delaware State University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Duke University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Emory University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Georgetown University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Hamilton College Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Hampton University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
  • Harvard University Partner — One of the colleges that Uncommon alumni have attended.
+ 60 more
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • AI Literacy as Empowerment and Classroom Integration
    methodology: ai_civics
    By teaching AI civics and integrating AI as a student-designed classroom tool, students develop critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and personal agency, because active creation and debate around AI fosters leadership rather than passive consumption.
  • Character and Academic Integration through Joyful Rigor
    methodology: joyful_rigor
    By combining high academic expectations with character development in a joyful, fast-paced learning environment, students develop identity, engagement, and a love of learning, because this integrated approach fosters both cognitive and non-cognitive growth from an early age.
  • College-Preparatory School Model with Lifelong Support
    methodology: college-preparatory_school_model
    By operating urban public schools that combine rigorous academics with character development and extending support through college matriculation and beyond, students from low-income communities are prepared for and sustained through college graduation, because long-term, holistic engagement increases college completion rates.
  • Family-School Partnership Model
    methodology: family-school_partnership_model
    By maintaining constant communication and collaborative relationships with families, student success is reinforced across environments, because aligned home-school partnerships strengthen accountability, engagement, and support systems.
  • Systemic Dissemination of Evidence-Based Practices
    methodology: evidence-based_instructional_practices
    By systematizing and sharing effective instructional practices through publications, professional development, and open-access curricula, educational quality improves at scale, because widespread access to proven methods raises instructional standards beyond individual classrooms.