It’s official: Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools are coming to St. Louis:

The announcement today from the San Francisco-based Knowledge is Power Program makes Washington University the sponsor a cluster of five tuition-free, hard-work public schools, aimed at serving roughly 1,500 St. Louis students over the next 10 years. The first, a middle school, would open in the fall of 2009.

This is great news for children in the city, although they’ll have to wait until 2009 to attend. Here’s a map of KIPP schools already operating. These schools share a rigorous academic program and have been very successful. Now some students in St. Louis will have the opportunity to benefit from KIPP.