Kanye West has reportedly opened a private school. According to a report by Rolling Stone, the school, called Donda Academy, is headquartered in Simi Valley, California and is a tuition-based, Christianity-rooted preparatory school.
The school’s website states that Donda Academy’s mission is to “prepare students to become the next generation of leaders” by way of “an ethic of integrity and care.”
As of now, the school is not yet accredited and Donda Academy’s principal and choir program’s executive director Brianne Campbell has never held a formal educational position.
At Donda Academy, students will engage in “full school worship; core classes of language arts, math and science; lunch and recess; enrichment courses including World Language, Visual Art, Film, Choir and Parkour.” Two anonymous sources told Rolling Stone that families who wish to enroll in Donda Academy must sign a non-disclosure agreement.
West collaborated on the school with producer Malik Yusef, who told Rolling Stone that West plans to open several Donda campuses across the country.
“I want to be emphatic that there’s never been a time that Kanye West did not want to do this,” he said. “I think people don’t understand the gravity of that. This man always wanted to create a school in his mama’s name … Look at what we’re doing with the choir and the fashion in school — I don’t think there’s a venture capitalist or anybody that’s had a vision this clear on what education can look like for you.”
Although not a whole lot is known about the structure or educational format of Donda Academy, Tamar Andrews, a consultant for Donda who reportedly has two decades of experience in the realm of education, says sharing information about the school isn’t a high priority at the moment.
“Honestly, we don’t care if people know about the school,” she said. “The people that want to come to the school are looking for a good Christian school in that area and they know that we’re there … there is also a certain notoriety that comes with being affiliated with Donda. So, I don’t know that we have to advertise, which is a blessing and a curse.”