Grades Served5-8
Founded 2009
Students399
Teachers 31
Founded in 2009, KIPP STRIVE Academy was the third KIPP Atlanta school to open. KIPP STRIVE Academy connects Atlanta’s Historic West End and Westview neighborhoods and seeks to build on the enduring legacy of education and activism in the community. STRIVE stands for Success Through Rigorous Instruction, Virtue, and Enrichment – a vision shared by students and staff alike. Holding fast to the belief that education comprises both academics and character, KIPP STRIVE is grounded in its REACH values (Respect, Enthusiasm, Achievement, Citizenship, and Hard Work). The school’s commitment to world-class instruction raises academic expectations to a higher level of teaching and learning. The belief in a calm and positive environment lays the foundation for relationships that empower with love and joy, grant mutual respect and dignity, and instill trust that extends for a lifetime. Students are further enriched through the arts, sojourns to landmarks of the civil rights movement across the South, and literacy initiatives that lift their voices and elevate their stories. KIPP STRIVE Academy proves that all students can thrive beyond measure as change-agents for a better tomorrow.
KIPP STRIVE Academy shares a campus with KIPP STRIVE Primary School (grades K-4), offering a full K-8 academic experience.
Mr. Emanuel Mathis serves as the K–8 Principal at KIPP STRIVE Campus. A proud Atlanta native, he is dedicated to providing students with exceptional academic and extracurricular experiences that empower them to lead lives filled with choice and opportunity.
Since joining KIPP Atlanta Schools in 2011, Mr. Mathis has held a variety of leadership and instructional roles, including learning specialist, math teacher, athletic director, basketball coach, instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal. Most recently, he served as Principal at KIPP Soul Primary School and Academy and KIPP Woodson Park Academy, where he led school communities focused on academic excellence, student achievement, and strong school culture.
Mr. Mathis’s broad range of experiences has shaped his student-centered leadership philosophy and unwavering commitment to educational excellence.
Before joining KIPP Atlanta Schools, Mr. Mathis taught for four years in the Newton County School System. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, where he was also a member of the university’s men’s basketball team.
At KIPP STRIVE Academy, we offer the following extracurricular activities:
Our students’ academic results continue to prove what is possible in education.
KIPP Atlanta Schools was awarded Accredited status by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI)
