Noble Network of Charter Schools in Chicago was named the winner of the 2015 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. As the winner, Noble will receive $250,000 to advance their efforts in sending students to and through college. Noble operates 17 schools serving over 10,000 students who are predominantly African American and Hispanic and from low-income backgrounds. A review board selected Noble as the winner due to their strong student outcomes at scale, particularly for their network of high schools which often face greater challenges. Noble's approach includes longer school days, data-driven instruction, and high expectations which have led to high graduation rates and ACT scores exceeding state averages.

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Noble Network Named Top Public Charter School System in America as
Winner of 2015 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools, Receives $250,000
Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 22, 2015
Contact:
Swati Pandey, spandey@broadfoundation.org
c: 323-213-6680, o: 310-954-5049
Heather Vega, heather@larsonpr.com
c: 925-784-4608
news
NEW ORLEANS—Noble Network of Charter Schools, which operates 17 schools in Chicago, was
named the best-performing large public charter school system in America as the winner of the 2015 Broad
Prize for Public Charter Schools, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced today at the National
Charter Schools Conference. As the winner, Noble Network will receive $250,000 to advance their efforts
to send students to and through college.
The $250,000 Broad (rhymes with “road”) Prize for Public Charter Schools is an annual award that
honors the large public charter school system serving low-income students and students of color that has
the best overall performance in the country.
Noble Network is a growing system of secondary schools in Illinois that serves 10,000 students who
attend 16 high schools and one middle school. Noble’s students are 95 percent African-American or
Hispanic, and 89 percent are low-income. In 2014, Noble consistently ranked among the top- performing
public school systems in Illinois, especially for African-American, Hispanic and low-income students.
Additionally, Noble’s four-year cohort graduation rate was significantly higher than the state average.
A 10-member review board of prominent education researchers, policy leaders, practitioners and
executives from around the country evaluated publicly available student performance and college-
readiness data for 20 of the country’s largest public charter management systems. They selected the top
three charter systems—Achievement First, IDEA Public Schools and Noble Network—and chose Noble
as the winner of the 2015 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. The review board noted Noble’s ability
to achieve strong high school student outcomes at scale. The Broad Foundation, which funds the prize,
did not play a role in selecting the winning charter system.
“Noble is exceptional because they operate almost entirely high schools, which are often the toughest
grades to advance academically at high levels,” said Paul Pastorek, a member of The Broad Prize for
Public Charter Schools review board and the former Louisiana state superintendent of education, who
announced the winner before an audience of more than 3,000 charter school representatives from around
the country. “Noble is clearly on to something because they’ve been able to scale and sustain their
academic achievement. They have demonstrated that all students have the ability to perform at college-
ready levels.”

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Founded in 1999 on the principles of strong leadership, meaningful use of data and a high degree of
accountability, Noble focuses on sending all students to college. With longer class periods, a longer
school day and a longer school year, Noble provides students with substantially more instructional time
than traditional Chicago public high schools. In addition to extra time, Noble’s approach includes a
consistent school culture of high expectations, the use of student-level data to drive instruction, and a
focus on attracting and retaining the top teaching talent.
Among the reasons Noble Network won the 2015 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools:
 In a comparison of proficiency rates of low-income students in public school districts in
Illinois, Noble ranked in the top 30 percent in reading and math.
 In a comparison of proficiency rates of African-American students in public school districts
in Illinois, Noble ranked in the top 30 percent in reading, math and science.
 In a comparison of proficiency rates of Hispanic students in public school districts in Illinois,
Noble ranked in the top 30 percent in reading, math and science.
 Graduation rates for all students overall and for low-income, African-American, and Hispanic
subgroups exceeded the Illinois average for those groups in 2013. For example, 87 percent of
Noble’s African-American ninth-graders graduate from high school in four years compared to
71 percent in Illinois, and 88 percent of Noble’s low-income ninth-graders graduate from
high school in four years compared to 73 percent in Illinois.
 In 2014, 100 percent of Noble Network’s seniors participated in the ACT exam and earned an
average ACT score of 20.3. Statewide, 50 percent of students are low-income, while Noble’s
student population is 89 percent low-income. The average statewide ACT score was 20.7.
“Noble is a leading example of a public high school that empowers students and prepares them for a solid
college career. This year, Noble had the largest class of graduating seniors—1,500 students from 10
campuses, most of whom are minorities and from low-income communities. A majority of these students
will be the first in their family to attend college. That’s a huge success,” said Nina Rees, president and
CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. “Public charter schools all across the nation can
learn from Noble—their ability to serve students of all backgrounds along with strengthening academic
potential and giving students the tools to be successful. We are very proud of Noble and its work to build
an impactful system of education.”
Non-profit charter management organizations eligible for the 2015 Broad Prize for Public Charter
Schools operated a minimum of five schools since the 2010-11 school year, serving at least 2,500
students and sizeable percentages of low-income students and students of color. Organizations cannot
apply for the award nor be nominated. For a list of eligible CMOs, visit
http://www.broadprize.org/publiccharterschools/eligible.html.
In selecting the 2015 winner, the review board examined data from the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school
years, collected and analyzed by RTI International, a leading global research institute. The review board
considered student outcomes, college-readiness indicators, scalability, size, poverty and demographics.
The winner receives $250,000 for college-readiness efforts. Previous winners of The Broad Prize for
Public Charter Schools are KIPP Schools in 2014, Uncommon Schools in 2013 and YES Prep Public
Schools in 2012. Winners are ineligible for three years following their win.
Founded by entrepreneur Eli Broad and his wife Edythe, both graduates of Detroit Public Schools, The
Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is a philanthropy that seeks to ensure that every student in an urban
public school has the opportunity to succeed. Bringing together top education experts and practitioners,

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the foundation funds system-wide programs and policies that strengthen public schools by creating
environments that allow good teachers to do great work and enable students of all backgrounds to learn
and thrive. For more information, visit www.broadeducation.org.
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