HOUSTON The U.S. Department of Education has granted Texas-based Harmony Public Schools $18 million for further expansion of its public charter school network throughout the Lone Star State.
The announcement was made April 3 by the DOE’s Office of Elementary & Secondary Education. The grant will further Harmony’s current “Inspiring Futures Across Texas” growth initiative, which focuses on offering quality enrollment opportunities to more Texas students at future Harmony campuses. Currently, Harmony has 60 campuses across Texas, and one online-only virtual academy.
“Our new student application numbers are higher than they have ever been, and continue to grow each year,” Harmony CEO Fatih Ay said. “All over Texas, families are seeing the opportunity that Harmony Public Schools contributes to their communities, and this grant is proof that the U.S. Department of Education sees the value that Harmony provides, as well.”
The award was the latest in multiple major federal grants received by Harmony for its schools and programs. In recent years, Harmony has been awarded more than $110 million by the Department of Education, including:
In 2020, the Department of Education awarded Harmony $27.8 million for its Teacher and School Leader (TSL) Incentive program to train, equip, and retain top-level school leaders at its campuses across the state.
In 2019, the Department of Education also awarded $8 million to Harmony for its innovative “Leaf to STEM” program, which expanded its pioneering programming in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to elementary learners.
In 2017, the DOE also awarded Harmony a $26.7 million Teacher Incentive Fund grant for the school’s Supporting Top Educators Program (H-STEP), aimed at rewarding Harmony’s highest-performing education with additional compensation.
In 2012, the DOE awarded Harmony a $30 million Race to the Top grant to support locally developed plans to personalize and deepen student learning, directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student to succeed in college and their careers.
Additionally, Harmony Public Schools has recently received financial support from a variety of education-focused philanthropic organizations, including the Charter School Growth Fund, CREEED, FWEP, and the George W. Brackenridge Foundation.
Harmony Public Schools is a Texas-born, Texas-wide public charter school system with campuses serving PreK-12 students in 23 cities across the state, including Greater Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Waco, Lubbock, Odessa, Bryan, Beaumont, and the Rio Grande Valley. Harmony’s curriculum places a heavy focus on STEM skills, Character Education, project-based learning, and college readiness.
Harmony is now accepting applications for both students and team members for the 2023-24 school year.
