KIPP Texas Public Schools
In Collaboration with Gensler & The Linbeck Group, LLC
Introduction
Red Dot Buildings and KIPP Texas:
A Partnership for Educational Excellence
Red Dot Buildings is proud to present a case study highlighting the successful partnership with KIPP Texas in constructing essential educational facilities. As the largest network of non-profit charter schools in the United States, KIPP serves approximately 120,000 students across 280 schools in 21 states and Washington D.C., offering a free college preparatory education on an open-enrollment basis. In Texas, KIPP operates 57 schools, serving nearly 35,000 students from Pre-K through Grade 12. From 2022 to 2024, KIPP Texas has constructed over 400,000 square feet of new space, opening nine schools to accommodate an additional 3,500+ students.
These new facilities, including KIPP Somos Primary and KIPP Somos Collegiate, and a freestanding gymnasium at the KIPP Texas Somos Campus, are all metal buildings, demonstrating a commitment to cost-effective, durable, and flexible construction solutions.
Challenges
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
KIPP Texas faced several challenges in their construction projects, including the need to accommodate a growing number of students in underserved communities, financial constraints due to limited funding compared to traditional public schools, and site limitations such as a heavily wooded area with a 30-foot drop across a portion of the property and surrounding residential neighborhoods. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant material availability and pricing challenges.
KIPP Texas’ mission of creating “joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.”
BUILDING SCHOOLS WHERE
THEY ARE MOST NEEDED
Eric Kot, former Deputy Chief of Construction and Real Estate for KIPP Texas, emphasizes that this public charter school system aims to meet students and families where they are. “We aren’t private,” he said. “There is no tuition. We offer a public school option and strategically build our schools in communities that need us the most.”
This need is high in economically underserved neighborhoods. In Houston, nearly 90% of KIPP students come from disadvantaged households, with 98% identifying as ethnic minorities. About 10% of low-income students in the county graduate from college, with most working in low-wage jobs and living in poverty.
KIPP Texas is changing this statistic. In 2018, over 500 KIPP Houston graduates earned more than 3,000 acceptances to 81 colleges, with over $21 million in grants and scholarships. An overwhelming 98% of graduates entered college that fall.
Discover the full story and learn how we delivered exceptional results—download our detailed case study today!