KIPP Pueblo Unido
Enrolling Grades TK-3 & 6-8*
KIPP Pueblo Unido is a tuition-free, college-preparatory TK-3 and 6-8* charter public school in Maywood & Huntington Park and is part of the national KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network of 270 schools in 20 states and Washington, DC.
Our name is derived from the United Farm Workers’ slogan “el pueblo unido jamas sera vencido” or “the people united will never be defeated” because we believe the collective power of our students, families, and team will ensure our students thrive to and through college.
*A grade-level will be added each year until we are fully grown with TK-8th grades.
School Core Values
- Love
- Ganas
- Curiosity
- Optimism
School Leaders
Melissa Torres & Katelyn Johnson
Interim School Leaders
"At KIPP, every individual is committed to doing what is best for our students and families. It’s not always easy, but we’re all here to accomplish one mission. It is powerful to work alongside adults who engage in our work on a deeply personal level.”
Cudahy Campus Project
We’re excited to build a permanent campus to honor our commitment to our KIPP Pueblo families to provide a home for our kippsters and for any others who want to join our family. Please review our plans and answers to community questions in the presentations below.
You can also check out the full report from the City of Cudahy, which approved our plans for a new campus or connect with us at advocacy@kippsocal.org to learn more about the work we’ve done, our schools, and our vision for a more just world.
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. All California charter public schools are governed and operated by non-profit corporations. In 2018, the California Legislature passed bipartisan legislation (AB 406, McCarthy) banning for-profit corporations from operating charter schools in California. Even prior to this legislation, KIPP SoCal has operated as a non-profit since its founding. To this end, all California charter schools including KIPP SoCal Schools are independently operated non-profit public schools that have the freedom to design curriculum, take creative approaches, offer greater personal attention, and meet the needs of students from all backgrounds.
Yes. All California charter schools are public schools. Like traditional public schools, charter public schools are funded publicly by federal, state and local funding.
- Tuition free, open to all, and part of a free public school system
- In California, 100% of charter public schools are nonprofit
- Held to the same state and federal academic standards as traditional district schools
- Funded primarily through a combination of federal, state, and local tax dollars
- More than 1,306 charter public schools enroll approximately 628K students in California
Charter schools operate under an independent contract or “charter” with an authorizing agency—typically a nonprofit organization, government agency or university. The charter provides the school with operational autonomy to pursue specific educational objectives regarding curriculum, staff, and budget. It also holds them accountable to the same (often higher) standards of their district public school peers. Furthermore, charter contracts are required to be renewed every five years by the authorizing agency, which provides a high standard for accountability.
As a California charter public school, KIPP SoCal does not have special eligibility or entrance requirements, and has some of the strongest enrollment protections of any type of public school in the state.
California law ensures that charter public schools are accessible to all students, and that no student will be excluded based on disability, test scores, income or immutable characteristics. There is no opportunity to ‘cherry-pick’ students. In fact, at 14% of our student body, KIPP Pueblo Unido educates a higher percentage of students with disabilities and diverse students as compared to traditional district schools.
KIPP Pueblo Unido is not new to the Cudahy community. 135 families from Cudahy have already chosen to send their students to a KIPP school. KIPP has operated schools in Southeast LA for over 10 years and has a longstanding history. KIPP Comienza in Huntington Park (National Blue Ribbon School) and KIPP Corazón in South Gate each have waitlists of over 750 students. KIPP Pueblo Unido was founded in part due to the high demand from families in Southeast Los Angeles communities. We are not opening a new school, we are finding a permanent home and delivering on our commitment to our KIPP Pueblo Unido students and families. The site in Cudahy is located 2.5 miles from the temporary site for KIPP Pueblo Unido in Maywood and is accessible to Southeast LA families on the waitlist at neighboring KIPP schools and any other family that chooses KIPP as an option.
Yes. At KIPP SoCal, the safety and well-being of our students, educators, and families come first. Relevant to the proposed Cudahy site, we’ve completed all of the required environmental investigations to ensure the Cudahy campus is safe for our community, including students, team members, and the surrounding neighborhood. No material issues were identified during this extensive process. KIPP has gone above and beyond to ensure that the site complies with all applicable environmental requirements and local guidelines, relying on independent experts to verify that the Cudahy campus is safe. To this end, we have currently completed the soil removal work recommended in the independent consultant’s due diligence report. The site complies with all state regulatory environmental requirements for public schools and is safe. KIPP SoCal recognizes the history of environmental injustice in Southeast LA and knows the responsibility we have to ensure the environment and community are safe.
Yes. At KIPP SoCal, the safety and well-being of our students, educators, and families come first. Relevant to the proposed Cudahy site, we’ve completed all of the required environmental investigations to ensure the Cudahy campus is safe for our community, including students, team members, and the surrounding neighborhood. No material issues were identified during this extensive process. KIPP has gone above and beyond to ensure that the site complies with all applicable environmental requirements and local guidelines, relying on independent experts to verify that the Cudahy campus is safe. To this end, we have currently completed the soil removal work recommended in the independent consultant’s due diligence report. The site complies with all state regulatory environmental requirements for public schools and is safe. KIPP SoCal recognizes the history of environmental injustice in Southeast LA and knows the responsibility we have to ensure the environment and community are safe.
Yes. At KIPP SoCal, the safety and well-being of our students, educators, and families come first. Relevant to the proposed Cudahy site, we’ve completed all of the required environmental investigations to ensure the Cudahy campus is safe for our community, including students, team members, and the surrounding neighborhood. No material issues were identified during this extensive process. KIPP has gone above and beyond to ensure that the site complies with all applicable environmental requirements and local guidelines, relying on independent experts to verify that the Cudahy campus is safe. To this end, we have currently completed the soil removal work recommended in the independent consultant’s due diligence report. The site complies with all state regulatory environmental requirements for public schools and is safe. KIPP SoCal recognizes the history of environmental injustice in Southeast LA and knows the responsibility we have to ensure the environment and community are safe.
The soil on the project site was tested extensively for evidence of contamination and these tests identified only one substance, arsenic, that impacted select areas of the site. Fortunately, a site that has soil impacted by arsenic can easily be cleaned by removing the impacted soil and replacing it with clean imported fill. On the project site, KIPP SoCal has already removed 50 cubic yards of impacted soil and replaced that soil with clean imported fill.
Following the replacement of the impacted soil, the independent environmental consultant conducted further testing to ensure that the site is free of arsenic. Furthermore, KIPP SoCal intends to remove another 36,000 cubic yards of soil as part of the excavation required to build an underground parking garage. This soil excavation is not required to clean the site, but can provide further assurance to our families that the site will be clean for its use as a school.
No, our environmental studies conducted by an independent environmental consultant did not provide any evidence that this site was impacted by the Exide plant closure.
No, the site was not impacted by the Delta fuel dump that impacted schools in the Southeast LA community.
The California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) examines the potential impacts that a future project will have on the property and its surroundings and makes recommendations on how to reduce those impacts that are found to be significant. A CEQA analysis typically examines A) greenhouse gas emissions; B) land use and planning; C) population and housing; D) transportation and traffic; E) hazards and hazardous materials; F) mineral resources; G) public services H) air quality; I) geology and soils; J) noise; and similar categories.
Based on the designation of the project site and the guidelines outlined by the City of Cudahy, the site is not subject to CEQA analysis. CEQA analysis is not required because the Design Review Permit that was approved by the Cudahy City Council is ministerial according to the Cudahy Zoning Code. Under state law, ministerial projects are exempt from CEQA analysis. Ministerial projects are projects where a city’s discretion is limited to evaluating whether the project conforms to the applicable statutes, regulations, ordinances, or other fixed standards. By law, cities are required to grant ministerial permits where the project is consistent with all applicable standards. On September 15, 2020 the City Council determined that our project met all applicable standards for a Design Review Permit.
If the project and any required entitlements were “discretionary” then the project would be subject to CEQA. KIPP has ensured that the site meets the environmental standards required of a public school site. Even though the project is exempt from CEQA, the project site is still required to meet all of the environmental standards for a public school. KIPP hired an independent environmental consultant to ensure the project site will align with the stringent environmental standards for a public school site and has removed impacted soil identified by the independent environmental consultant.
The petitioners who filed the lawsuit against the City of Cudahy are alleging that the City’s approval of the project was improperly exempted from CEQA review. This claim is based upon the petitioners’ allegation that the City misinterpreted the Municipal Code. Petitioners allege that the City Council incorrectly determined that the Development Review Permit required for the KIPP Pueblo Unido campus is ministerial.. The petitioners’ position is inconsistent with findings from City staff, the City Council, and legal counsel.
For projects that may have potential impacts on the environment, CEQA requires examination of the scope and nature of impacts to the project site and the surrounding community. CEQA also requires analysis of project alternatives and in some cases, mitigation measures for reducing those impacts. A CEQA analysis typically examines: A) greenhouse gas emissions; B) land use and planning; C) population and housing; D) transportation and traffic; E) hazards and hazardous materials; F) mineral Resources; G) public services H) air quality; I) geology and soils; J) noise; and similar categories.
It is state law that ministerial projects, such as KIPP Pueblo Unido’s campus, are exempt from CEQA analysis It is important to note that although the project is exempt from CEQA review, it was evaluated for environmental contamination by independent experts, and is still subject to all environmental standards for a public school site. As verified by independent experts, the site meets all environmental standards required for public schools and is safe for this use.
The petitioners have also alleged that technical difficulties during the September 15, 2020 City Council meeting prevented project opponents from commenting on the project or participating in the public hearing, violating procedural due process rights and the City Municipal Code. Because the City provided two public comment sessions that lasted for several hours each, and permitted and encouraged the public to provide comments, and because the technical difficulties during the September 15th City Council hearing impacted all participants – not just project opponents – we believe that the City is in a strong position to successfully defend against both allegations.
KIPP SoCal does not plan to proceed with construction on the site until the pending litigation is resolved. This is expected to delay the project by an estimated 10 to 20 months, with final completion now estimated for December 2023. This date is tentative and subject to change based on many factors related to the litigation that are outside of our control.
We will always prioritize safety as our #1 concern. This campus will be enclosed by an 8-foot fence. All visitors will be vetted at the main lobby before they will be permitted to enter the school.
KIPP’s comprehensive traffic study evaluated 20 intersections near the Project Site. The design of the campus includes space for up to 66 cars to queue on site for pick-up/drop off procedures, alleviating the traffic congestion in the surrounding neighborhoods. Staggered pick-up and drop-off times further avoid traffic congestion. The site will contain 99 underground parks spots, space for surface parking, and valet parking if needed during a large event. We are confident that the design and planned procedures will minimize traffic in the local community.
KIPP SoCal is a nonprofit school whose mission is to provide an educational option for families. Specifically, KIPP Pueblo Unido intends to educate students from Cudahy and the surrounding cities. In addition to providing an educational option, KIPP SoCal is committed to working with the Cudahy community to find opportunities to partner. KIPP looks forward to exploring opportunities for the site to be used for community benefit outside of school hours.
What I love most about KIPP SoCal is their goal to provide our children with the best educational choices possible, so that they return and uplift their communities.
