I Promise School

I Promise School is a public elementary school in Akron, Ohio, supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation starting in 2018 and specifically aimed at at-risk children. Opening with students attending grades three and four, the school will be fully operational by 2022, eventually teaching grades one through eight. The school deploys a STEM-based curriculum. "The Family Resource Center" and the school's "family plan" are aimed at the students' families to ensure a stable learning experience at home. Deviating from traditional timetables, school days last from 8 to 5. Summer vacation is shortened significantly and shorter breaks are scattered throughout the year instead.

Free tuition to the University of Akron for every graduating student is covered under the pre-existing Akron I Promise Network Scholarship, which was developed between the University of Akron, the LeBron James Family Foundation, and JPMorgan Chase in 2015. To qualify, Akron public school students must graduate high school with a 3.0 grade point average. Additionally, the University of Akron also provides eligible Akron Public School graduates full-tuition under the separate Innovation Generation Scholarship. The Foundation will initially contribute an estimated $2 million in start up costs, but the number will change annually based on community needs. Students are selected based on test scores and other metrics and criteria, then placed in a lottery system.