Core Knowledge Schools

Every Kind of School:

• 40% Public
• 38% Charter
• 16% Private
•   6% Parochial

Every Kind of Setting:

• 46% Urban
• 36% Suburban
• 18% Rural

A National Network Committed to Educational Excellence and Equity

Across the country, hundreds of schools are committed to the idea that academic excellence demands a solid, specific core curriculum. They agree that educational equity and fairness requires a strong foundation, sequenced grade by grade. They understand that the key to improved literacy is a core of knowledge, shared across grade levels, school districts and the nation. They are Core Knowledge schools.

Core Knowledge schools are remarkably diverse. There are inner city schools in which almost 100% of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, suburban schools in which the student body resembles that of an elite private boarding school—complete with uniforms—and traditional public schools, public charter schools, and independent schools, both religious and secular. All of them implement the same content-rich Core Knowledge curriculum.

During the 2009–2010 school year there were 770 schools and 414 preschools in 45 states and the District of Columbia using all or part of the Core Knowledge curriculum. Countless other schools use Core Knowledge materials, but the official count includes only those schools that report regularly to the Foundation.