RISE Academy is a TEAM School, part of a network run by KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) in Newark. Serving African-American and Latino students in low-income communities, the school aims to prove that students of all backgrounds can succeed academically. Some 85 percent of the students qualify for free or subsidized school lunches and 14 percent have special needs. The school prides itself on working with students who start out below grade level in reading and math, but after a few years are achieving at above-average levels compared to their peers in Newark and across New Jersey. Ninety percent of the students go on to college.