Southern provided $1.4 million in financing along with $400,000 in grants from the Walton Family Foundation to support the KIPP charter school in Helena. The 95% African American middle school has been astonishingly successful—the first cohort of students went from a mean 20th to 82nd percentile on standardized tests in three years. KIPP recorded a 96% graduation rate in 2011 and all 27 graduates were accepted into a 2 or 4 year college, compared to the graduation rate of less than 65% in surrounding school districts. 93% of KIPP Delta Collegiate graduates are currently enrolled in a 2 or 4 year college. 75% of the 40 students who completed 8th grade at KIPP Delta Collegiate Public School in 2006 are currently enrolled in a 2 or 4 year college.

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