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Columbia Explorers Academy
Join the 543 supporters who believe in this school.

About this school

Columbia Explorers Academy is an urban public school in Chicago, Illinois that is part of Chicago Public School District 299. It serves 725 students in grades Pre-K - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 13.9:1. Its teachers have had 133 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

At Equity Focus Schools, students have limited access to resources and learning materials.
Learn more about our Equity Focus

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School
Title 1 Data about Title 1 status comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
Grades Pre-K - 8
725 Students
52 Teachers
4520 S Kedzie Ave Contact info is sourced from our partners at MDR Education, and DonorsChoose updates our site ahead of each school year.
Chicago, IL 60632 View local requests
Evidence-based impact
Inspire teachers to stay in the classroom and boost student achievement.1
Give to this school
Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.
Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY
1: "Crowdfunding the Front Lines: An Empirical Study of Teacher-Driven School Improvement," "Stopping the Revolving Door: An Empirical and Textual Study of Crowdfunding and Teacher Turnover" — Samantha Keppler, Jun Li, and Di (Andrew) Wu — University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business

Columbia Explorers Academy Teachers on DonorsChoose

See more teachers from Columbia Explorers Academy

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. Each classroom request for funding was created by a classroom teacher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

See how DonorsChoose works

Columbia Explorers Academy Demographics

90%
of students receive free or reduced price lunch Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
97%
of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Columbia Explorers Academy Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 4, 2025

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.

Columbia Explorers Academy

$68,921
raised using DonorsChoose
133
projects funded
50
teachers funded
543
donors
5
projects for basic supplies
12
projects for technology
14
projects for books
8
projects for art supplies

Columbia Explorers Academy has received support from 364 individuals from Illinois and 179 individuals out-of-state.