Rocketship Infinity Community Prep and Turner-Agassi Education Facilities Fund Celebrate STEAM-Focused Charter School Campus in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--()--Tennis champion Andre Agassi, Turner Impact Capital CEO Bobby Turner, community leaders, and local dignitaries joined with Rocketship Public Schools today for the inaugural celebration of Rocketship Infinity Community Prep at the Romaine Thomas Campus, a beautiful charter school campus in Washington’s Fort Totten Neighborhood.

The 56,000-square-foot campus currently serves 235 students in pre-kindergarten to 3rd grade with a focus on STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), on its way to eventually serving students through fifth grade. The school was developed by the Turner-Agassi Education Facilities Fund, a mission-driven social impact investment fund that provides resources and real estate expertise to high-performing charter school operators across the nation.

Opened in August 2020, Rocketship Infinity Community Prep is the group’s 20th charter school and its third in the nation’s capital. A festive ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today at the state-of-the-art facility, an adaptive reuse of two former warehouses near the Fort Totten Metro station. The school features 28 classrooms – including two learning labs, a science lab, and art and dance studios – as well as an outdoor classroom and playground on 2.1 acres. The school is expected to earn LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“We are grateful for the continued support of Turner-Agassi as we grow our impact in D.C. with Rocketship Infinity Community Prep,” said Rocketship D.C. Executive Director Candice Bobo. “Our parents named this school Rocketship Infinity Community Prep because of the infinite potential inside every child in our Ward 5 community.”

Rocketship Public Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing public elementary charter schools serving disadvantaged communities across the country. The group launched in 2007, with a vision to eliminate the achievement gap in every community it serves. Through its high-performing public school model, Rocketship Public Schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community.

Rocketship and Turner-Agassi have partnered together to develop school facilities in Washington, D.C.; San Jose, California; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and Fort Worth, Texas.

“Rocketship Public Schools has a proven track record of delivering outstanding results for students and communities. We are thrilled to continue our long partnership with this best-in-class operator,” said Bobby Turner, the Fund’s Co-Managing Partner and CEO of Turner Impact Capital. “This inspiring new campus is yet another example of the lasting impact that sustainable, market-driven solutions can deliver for communities.”

“Our Rocketeers learn and grow as they focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math to be prepared for the opportunities of the future,” said Founding Principal Angel McNeil. “Every single educator at Rocketship Infinity Community Prep and every single parent makes this school a great place for our students to learn. The people who make up our community aim to work together with the core principle in mind that each and every Rocketeer who walks through our doors has the educational experience that they deserve.”

Securing high‐quality, long‐term facilities is often one of the greatest impediments faced by charter school leaders. Turner‐Agassi provides resources, development experience and a passion for educational excellence to enable top school operators focus on their first priority: helping students succeed.

“I am so proud of the entire Rocketship Public Schools team for their dedication to opening this school in a pandemic to provide hundreds of Ward 5 children with an excellent education,” said Rocketship DC Board Chair Jolene Hall Sloter. “This campus was named after Mrs. Romaine Thomas because she is an institution in our community and a true caretaker of children. At Rocketship DC, we know that our students need to connect to their history and cultural heritage in order to fully form their own identity and vision for the future. That is why we decided to name this campus after this strong, local community leader. Mrs. Thomas provides an excellent example of what our students can accomplish and contribute.”

A joint venture of Turner Impact Capital and Agassi Ventures, Turner‐Agassi is backed by a world‐class group of institutional investors who share a commitment to effecting positive societal change in urban centers across the United States. To date, the Fund is on course to develop and deliver 120 schools for leading charter school operators throughout the United States, serving over 59,000 students.

“All students deserve a safe, stable and learning-friendly environment that encourages them to learn, grow and achieve,” said Andre Agassi, the Fund’s Co-Managing Partner, CEO of Agassi/Graf Holdings, and the Chairman of The Board of the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education. “Rocketship Infinity Community Prep is already helping to unlock the potential of young people in Washington, and will empower them to succeed in school, in their careers, and in life.”

Turner-Agassi takes the lead in site selection, acquisition, design and construction for new school facilities, which are then leased back to school operators, which can purchase their schools once they reach full occupancy. Operators often obtain permanent financing to purchase the schools using tax-exempt bond offerings.

“Rocketship Public Schools has been an incredible success story for students and families alike. We are extremely proud to be continuing our partnership with this extraordinary charter school organization,” said Glenn Pierce, Turner Impact Capital’s President of Education Initiatives. “Meeting students and families and seeing the impact of our work first-hand is inspiring for our entire team, and energizes us to continue delivering on our mission here in Washington and all over the United States.”

Turner-Agassi is managed by Turner Impact Capital, one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing investment firms dedicated to social impact. Since opening its doors in 2014, Turner Impact Capital has made significant investments to address three core challenges: K-12 public education, affordable workforce housing, and outcome-based healthcare in underserved urban communities. In total, these investments have directly impacted more than 150,000 lives across the nation.

About the Turner-Agassi Education Facilities Fund

The Turner-Agassi Education Facilities Fund, managed by Turner Impact Capital, is the nation’s largest market-driven real estate fund dedicated to accelerating the growth of high-performing, urban charter schools. The Fund enables more students to attend great schools by developing learning-friendly facilities for best-in-class charter school operators. Since its inception in 2011, the Fund is on course to develop and deliver 120 schools serving over 59,000 students throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.turnerimpact.com.

About Rocketship Public Schools

Rocketship Public Schools is a nonprofit public charter network of 20 elementary schools serving low-income communities with limited access to excellent schools. Founded in 2007 in San Jose, California, Rocketship has since expanded to Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C., and Fort Worth, Texas. By building a scalable and sustainable school model that propels student achievement in underserved communities, Rocketship is working to eliminate the achievement gap in our lifetime. Visit www.rocketshipschools.org to learn more.

Contacts

Contact: Randy James
(310) 974-6684| randy@sugermangroup.com

Contacts

Contact: Randy James
(310) 974-6684| randy@sugermangroup.com