Aspire Public Schools | 2024 Gratitude Report
Dear Aspire Partner,
As we celebrate Aspire Public Schools’ landmark anniversary, we’re reflecting on 25 years of learning and growth. This year’s Gratitude Report is a beautiful reflection of what we have collectively achieved in service of our scholars. Inside you will find a timeline of our first quarter century as well as the breadth of our impact today. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning, or have joined us along the way, we hope you share in the sense of pride we have for how far we’ve come and find inspiration in our continued evolution.
For the past 25 years, we have been committed to preparing and empowering scholars to create fulfilling futures for themselves, their families, and their communities. From a single school site in a refurbished grocery store in Stockton to 36 schools across three regions, I am proud of the ways we remain grounded in our shared sense of purpose. A resounding piece of Aspire co-founder Don Shalvey’s legacy is emphasis on listening to the voices of our families and teammates. In that listening, we have heard a call to continue adapting to meet the evolving needs of our schools, scholars, teammates, and communities. What does this look like in action? It has meant expanding opportunities and scholarship initiatives for scholars, investing in our Teacher Residency Programs to provide professional growth opportunities for our teammates, and implementing co-teaching practices to be more inclusive of all scholars’ learning differences.
We are deeply grateful for our philanthropic partners past and present who have played a vital role in our work. Thank you for being part of our journey these past 25 years as we empower future generations of scholars to build a more equitable future for themselves and their communities.
In partnership,
Mala Batra
Aspire Public Schools CEO
This year’s Gratitude Report is dedicated in memory of our founder and friend Don Shalvey, for his vision and unwavering dedication to advancing quality public education in California and the broad impact he has had on making public school choice a reality for all.
Teammates
Scholars
50% Latinx
14% Black or African American
4% Multiracial
19% White
8% Asian
4% Other
1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
72% Latinx
6% Asian
4% Other
11% Black or African American
4% Multiracial
3% White
2023 Aspire vs. CA Graduation Rates
Aspire
CA
In 2023-2024, the Aspire Public Schools Foundation secured over $10 million in competitive government grants and philanthropic support to fund nine initiatives supporting scholars and schools
Aspire 11th grade performance compared to similar students in neighboring districts
District School Funding Per Pupil
Charter School Funding Per Pupil
Source: Charter School Funding: Little Progress Towards Equity in the City, National Center for Education Statistics
Since the day we were founded, we've been forced to get creative with limited resources: Aspire students — like all public charter school students in California — receive less funding than their peers in traditional public schools.
𑁋Mala Batra, Aspire Public Schools CEO
We are deeply grateful for the philanthropic partners who have supported us in the 2023-24 school year.
Support from champions like you helps ensure our scholars are prepared and empowered to attain fulfilling futures of their choosing. Gifts of all sizes make a difference - impact the future of thousands of scholars by donating today.
Aspire scholars are prepared and empowered to build a fulfilling and liberated future for themselves and their communities.
Provide a rigorous, joyful academic experience that cultivates our scholars' skills, talents, and gifts, such that they may pursue and persist in college or any post-secondary pathway that is authentic to their identities.
Promote inclusivity and disrupt systems that have historically oppressed marginalized communities, including Black, Latino/a/x, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Nurture our scholars' pride in their abilities, identities, and communities.
