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Founded in 1998 by Kevin Teasley,  GEO (Greater Education Opportunities) Foundation has radically altered the trajectory of impoverished students to succeed in college and career while still in high school. We help our students earn real college degrees and career certifications while in high school; thus we improve college completion rates. And we eliminate college debt by paying for all college expenses for our students, including tuition, textbooks, transportation, academic and social supports.

Little more than 10% of the students that GEO serves in Gary through its flagship school 21st Century Charter School come from homes with any college experience. By contrast, 21C graduates earn an average of 19 college credits each, putting them in the top 5% of Indiana for college readiness. More than 50% of 21C 2022 graduates earned either a full associate degree or certification in high school.

In 2014, GEO’s success in Gary caught the attention of former Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White and an invitation by the Louisiana Department of Education to bring GEO’s college immersion model to Louisiana. Eight years, five campuses, and 1,800 students later, GEO has earned the support of New Schools Baton Rouge and consistent “top gains” by the Louisiana Department of Education.

GEO Foundation supports a network of eight GEO Academies in Gary and Indianapolis, Indiana and Baton Rouge, Louisiana that serve 4,100 predominantly African-American and low-income students. 

Our results are unparalleled. Our Indiana students beat the state average in earning high-quality college and career credentials by nine times the state average for their demographic. Our Baton Rouge school produced the first students in the history of Baton Rouge to earn a full associate degree while in high school in 2023. Our model is innovative. Our model is sustainable. Our model gets results. Our model is replicable, too. We are in Gary, Indianapolis, and Baton Rouge.      

We help our students earn real college degrees and career certifications while in high school; thus we improve college completion rates. And we eliminate college debt by paying for all college expenses for our students, including tuition, textbooks, transportation, academic and social supports.