Kato Public Charter School in Mankato, Minnesota on DonorsChoose

{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":false,"callToActionDisplayName":"Kato Public Charter School","outOfStateSupporters":66.0,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":8173808,"projectId":9263454,"letterContent":"This is a bittersweet letter, as it is the Impact Letter I will write as a teacher at my current school. As a charter school, our authorizer has chosen not to recognize and honor the growth and effort of our students and is shutting us down at the end of this year's contract. Students and staff all fought so hard to convince the authorizer to change their mind and to provide evidence of our growth, but it wasn't enough. \r\n\r\nBut thanks to you and your generous donation, our final end of the year party was definitely one to remember. Students got to enjoy staples of our yearly parties such as the dunk tank and cotton candy, but they also got the chance to build new core memories that included good eats, sweet treats, and more bubbles than they could handle. Students enjoyed the walking tacos and the various treats, but especially the mini donut truck that came to help us celebrate. Students had fun creating their own ice cream sundae desserts using the sprinkles and syrups provided by this project and the bubble and foam machines were running all afternoon--no need to buy extra soap for a while!\r\n\r\nFrom the bottom of my heart, with bittersweet tears of both joy and sadness in my eyes, I thank you for your contribution to the last end of the year party at our school.","fullyFundedDate":1746786120878,"projectUrl":"project/end-of-year-party/9263454/","projectTitle":"End of Year Party!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Grabowski","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8173808_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1646862307864","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8173808"},{"teacherId":8173808,"projectId":8900509,"letterContent":"Wow!\r\n\r\nThe way all of my students were so excited for this project to get funded is crazy! Every student in every grade from 6th all the way up through 12th was psyched to hear that we would be getting some new snacks and incentives for the classroom.\r\n\r\nI watched my middle schoolers--who are notorious for dragging their feet on even the simplest tasks--jump in headfirst to complete assignments and work. High schoolers now know that they have a place to get a snack if they're hungry or feeling down. The best part is they always ask first (even though they know my answer to \"Can I have a snack?\" is almost always going to be a yes)!\r\n\r\n2024-2025 has been a tough year full of crazy obstacles for my students, and even just the simple notion of a snack or treat has helped us get through it.\r\n\r\nThank you.","fullyFundedDate":1739374260070,"projectUrl":"project/sweet-tooth-incentives/8900509/","projectTitle":"Sweet Tooth Incentives","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Grabowski","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8173808_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1646862307864","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8173808"},{"teacherId":8173808,"projectId":8900628,"letterContent":"I want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous donations to this project. I have been teaching at my current school for 4 years, and this year's seniors hold a special place in my heart because they started their high school journey at the same time that I started my teaching career. These children are special to me, and I love each and every one of them.\r\nI always want the best for my students, and I am always looking for ways to show them how important they are to me and that they are more than just a number or statistic in my eyes. Unfortunately, teaching is not a very money-lucrative career and I usually cannot afford to give students the graduation and end-of-year gifts that I would like to. Thanks to your donations to this project, the Class of 2025 will receive some great graduation gifts as they leave their high school days behind.","fullyFundedDate":1739681679742,"projectUrl":"project/great-grad-gifts/8900628/","projectTitle":"Great Grad Gifts!","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Grabowski","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8173808_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1646862307864","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8173808"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_69944","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":50,"numTeachers":9,"percentFrplEligible":74,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":10,"percentWhite":69,"percentIndigenous":2,"percentLatinx":10,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"6 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"5.6:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"URBAN","ncesMetroType":"CITY_SMALL"},"inStateSupporters":34.0,"schoolId":69944,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Kato Public Charter School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Kato Public Charter School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/minnesota/minnesota-department-of-education/riverbend-academy-public-charter-school/69944"}

About this school

Kato Public Charter School is an urban public school in Mankato, Minnesota that is part of Minnesota Department of Education. It serves 50 students in grades 6 - 12 with a student/teacher ratio of 5.6:1. Its teachers have had 26 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades 6 - 12

50 Students

9 Teachers

110 N 6th St

Mankato, MN 56001 View local requests

http://www.katopcs.org/

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

Kato Public Charter School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Ms. Sarah

Mx. Sjogren

Mrs. Williams

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

Kato Public Charter School Demographics

74%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

22%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

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.

Kato Public Charter School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Dec 5, 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.