Company Profile

Company Description:

Founded in 2009, Atlas Preparatory School is a tuition-free, public charter school in Colorado Springs that prepares students in the Kindergarten through 12th grade for post-secondary success. Atlas is located in Harrison School District 2, an historically underserved, economically depressed, sprawling zone populated with small strip malls, urban blight and a startling lack of community resources or quality school choice. Atlas currently serves over 1,220 students, the majority of whom come from low-income households and identify as racial minorities. Ninety-two percent of Atlas scholars qualify for free or reduced lunch, 74 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino, 16 percent as African-American and 10 percent as Caucasian. Our students primarily live at the crossroads of the three poorest zip codes in southeastern Colorado Springs. Less than 10 percent of the adult population in the area possesses a college degree. The percentage of families living below the poverty line in our neighborhood continues to increase annually. Occupancy of rental units is nearly 13 percent higher than the state average. The adjusted gross income has stagnated at $30,000 for nearly a decade, which is far below the state average of nearly $55,000. As the cost of living in Colorado Springs continues to increase, low-income families in our neighborhood struggle to make ends meet. This year alone, monthly rent for a two-bedroom, unfurnished apartment surged 12.9 percent to $1,199, more than triple the national median increase. Steadily rising rental prices contribute to high rates of residential mobility among the low-income families that Atlas serves. Through long-term investment in the community, Atlas aims to close the achievement gap between low-income students and their more affluent counterparts. At Atlas, we believe that all students, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances, deserve the opportunity to be successful and reach their fullest potential.

At its inception, Atlas followed a college-for-all model, with the goal of enrolling 100 percent of students in a four-year college upon graduation. Atlas has since broadened its mission to empower all students to embrace self-fulfillment through rigorous education, character development and community involvement. Today, Atlas provides multiple pathways to post-secondary opportunities for our students. We provide students with the support and resources to choose the right post-graduation pathway for themselves – be that an apprenticeship program, college, the military, or the workforce.