Events

News

The History of Yellowstone Academy

Yellowstone Yesterday:  Yellowstone Academy is a non-profit organization formed in July 2001 for the purpose of establishing a high quality faith-based private school for students living in poverty. A Board of Directors was formed, and Kim Hansen was hired as Executive Director. Kim immediately commenced a year-long project to research the concept and formulate specific plans for the school. During that year, she visited 12 inner city private schools in various cities around the country to observe their programs and to develop an understanding of “best practices” for educating children in poverty. After a year of intensive planning, Yellowstone Academy was created. The school opened in August 2002 with sixty-four 3 and 4 year old students from Houston’s Third Ward. Yellowstone originally leased facilities from the Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church. In August 2003, the school moved into the City of Refuge Church. Pastor Rufus Smith and his wife Jacqueline helped recruit students and promote the school to the community. The church reconfigured their first building to accommodate incoming Yellowstone PK3 classes. They allowed the school to pay below market rent, while the school was housed on its campus for the following three years.  In addition to sharing the enthusiasm of its pastor, the City of Refuge served as a church home for several of Yellowstone’s first students and provided about 1/3 of the first teaching staff, thus lending its credibility to the new school in the community. In 2003,  two kindergarten classes were added, bringing total enrollment to 96. First grade was added in August 2004 adding 32 more students and enrollment grew to 128. In August 2005, the school again expanded its program, adding second grade and enrollment grew to 160 students.