Thompson 90/90 Schools
Transforming Detroit’s Education Landscape
Empowering Detroit’s Youth
With a passion directed at urban education, Robert and Ellen Thompson set out to create educational opportunities for Detroit youth with the formation of the Thompson Schools Foundation (formerly the Thompson Educational Foundation) in 2002.
In 2003, the Thompsons built the University Preparatory High School to raise the educational standards necessary to achieve both improved high school graduation rates and college acceptance rates for students in the city of Detroit. It was at this time, the “Detroit 90/90 Promise” was born.
The Detroit 90/90 Promise was the first of its kind in the city and continues to serve as a benchmark for success. Schools promise to achieve a 90 percent graduation rate and a 90 percent post-secondary admissions rate for their students. With this promise in place, the Thompson Schools Foundation provided the funding for 10 state-of-the-art University Prep school buildings.
Today, the University Prep Schools, with three separate school districts: University Preparatory Academy, University Prep Science & Math and University Prep Art & Design, is one of Detroit’s oldest and largest charter school systems, serving more than 4,500 students in grades K-12. The Thompson Schools Foundation leases the buildings for $1 annually to the University Prep Schools and the savings this provides to the schools allows them to better serve the children through additional resources, small class sizes, and programming to help prepare them for success in life.