# Uncommon Schools

> Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit charter management organization that starts and runs outstanding urban public charter schools designed to close the achievement gap and prepare students from low-income communities to graduate from college. Founded around North Star Academy in Newark in 1997 and relaunched as a multi-state network in 2005, Uncommon operates roughly 53 K-12 schools serving about 20,000 students across New York City, Newark, Camden, Rochester, Troy, and Boston. Beyond running schools, it is a national force in teacher development - home to Doug Lemov's 'Teach Like a Champion' methodology - and pairs rigorous, data-driven instruction with long-term alumni college coaching.

- **Founded:** 1997
- **Headquarters:** New York, New York, United States
- **Founders:** Norman Atkins (Co-founder (North Star Academy); founding CEO of Uncommon Schools), James 'Jamey' Verrilli (Co-founder, North Star Academy)
- **Team size:** ~2,400 employees
- **Products:** K-12 Public Charter Schools, Teach Like a Champion, Alumni Success Coaching, Educator Professional Development, Camp Uncommon
- **Notable:** 96% of high school graduates accepted to a 2- or 4-year college since 1997, Alumni graduate from college at roughly 4x the rate of their lowest-income peers nationally, Winner of the 2013 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools ($250,000)

## Products & services

- **K-12 Public Charter Schools** — Roughly 53 tuition-free, college-preparatory public charter schools serving about 20,000 students across New York City, Newark, Camden, Rochester, Troy, and Boston.
- **Teach Like a Champion** — A best-selling book series and teacher-training program by Managing Director Doug Lemov, cataloging concrete classroom techniques used by high-performing teachers; now a global professional-development brand.
- **Alumni Success Coaching** — Dedicated alumni counselors and Success Coaches who follow graduates onto college campuses, using data to provide early, targeted support toward degree completion.
- **Educator Professional Development** — Workshops, books, and leadership fellowships that train teachers and school leaders in the U.S. and internationally in data-driven instruction and school leadership.
- **Camp Uncommon** — Enrichment summer camp for under-resourced students in the network.

## Achievements

- 96% of high school graduates accepted to a 2- or 4-year college since 1997
- Alumni graduate from college at roughly 4x the rate of their lowest-income peers nationally
- Winner of the 2013 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools ($250,000)
- North Star Academy named a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School
- Class of 2025 earned $9.8 million in scholarships and grants
- Doug Lemov's 'Teach Like a Champion' became a global best-seller and teacher-training standard
- Co-CEO Julie Jackson has trained more than 30,000 teachers and leaders globally

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — Uncommon's Class of 2025 earned an estimated $9.8 million in scholarships and grants to colleges.
- **2025-05** — Network celebrated alumni who graduated college in Fall 2024/Spring 2025 and those achieving 3.5+ GPAs, highlighting its Alumni Success Coach model.
- **2022-01** — Co-CEOs Brett Peiser and Julie Jackson named to City & State / Politics NY's 2022 Power Players in Education.
- **2019-04** — Julie Jackson named President of Uncommon Schools; later elevated to Co-CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://uncommonschools.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/uncommon-schools
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/uncommonschools
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncommonschools/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/uncommonschools

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/uncommon-schools
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-17