Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Jean-Claude Brizard announced that CPS will create ten new International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programmes in high schools across the city and outlined plans to directly inform parents and community members about the benefits of this college prep program before selecting schools.

The new IB programs will be located in existing neighborhood high schools. Each of the District’s five regional collaboratives will receive one new IB campus that solely offers IB curriculum. Five additional schools will offer the IB curriculum in addition to traditional curriculum. CPS will launch a community engagement process to allow stakeholders from all communities to provide feedback on the location of these new IB high schools.

This strategic expansion is a part of the city’s continuing effort to provide high quality school options for every student in every neighborhood. The five full school IB Programmes and five additional IB Programmes within schools will open in fall 2013 with final authorization set for 2016.

The IB Diploma Programme is a comprehensive and challenging college preparatory program for academically advanced and highly motivated students in grades 11 and 12, which has garnered worldwide recognition for its high academic standards. Approximately 75 percent of CPS’ IB students are African-American and Latino, and live in low-income neighborhoods, the majority being first generation college students.