Noble Network of Charter Schools

Noble Schools (formerly known as the Noble Network of Charter Schools and as Noble Street Charter School) is an open enrollment, public charter network of high schools and middle schools serving students throughout Chicago. Noble was co-founded in 1999 by Michael Milkie and Tonya Hernandez through a partnership between Ron Manderschied, President of Northwestern University Settlement House. Noble's first expansions, Rauner College Prep and Pritzker College Prep, opened in 2006. There are currently 18 schools in the charter school network: 1 middle school and 17 high schools. Noble schools are public and open to all students in Chicago and there is no testing required for admission.

The student population for Noble Network schools is 98% minority and 89% low-income. It currently serves 12,543 students from more than 70 Chicago communities. The Noble Network has an overall college acceptance rate of 90%. In 2014 Black and Hispanic students in Noble schools ranked in the top 30 percent in reading, math and science. It was named top public charter network in 2015 by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and Chicago Magazine named Noble schools as the five top charter high schools in Chicago.

According to Princeton University and the Brookings Institution in 2018, attending a Noble high school increased college enrollment by 13 percentage points, with most of the increase coming at four-year, relatively selective institutions. Persistence in college also increased, with a 12 percentage point increase in attending four or more semesters of higher education.

In the 2018-2019 School Quality Rating Policy results published by the Chicago Public Schools, Noble's high schools earned 10 of the 15 top ranking school slots in the district. The School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP) is the Board of Education's policy for evaluating school performance. It establishes the indicators of school performance and growth and the benchmarks against which a school's success will be evaluated on an annual basis. Through this policy, each school receives a School Quality Rating and an Accountability Status.

The Noble-Relay Teaching Residency, run in partnership with Relay Graduate School of Education, launched in the summer of 2014, provides a one-year pathway into a career as a teacher in an urban setting for Noble alumni and interested community members.

Noble's college counseling and alumni support program has led to students graduating from college at three to five times the national average. Noble uses college counseling tools and software to match students with the highest graduation rate schools. This system has been shared with other schools in Chicago and around the country. Each senior has a college counselor and applies to 8-10 colleges to find the right "match" school. Students can attend a college seminar course in their senior year to help them complete college, financial, and scholarship applications.

The Summer of a Lifetime program allows Noble Network students to participate in classes over the summer for high school or college credit. Students also visit colleges, museums, and other educational venues. Since 1997, 4500 students have participated in the program.

Since 2014 Noble has offered scholarships to undocumented students who participate in the federal DACA program. The program mirrors the financial aid that would otherwise be available to students through FAFSA. Approximately 70 undocumented Noble graduates are awarded nearly full-ride scholarships annually.