About
Kickstart Kids offers Character through Karate for middle and high school students. Black belt instructors deliver daily in-school lessons during the school day.
Programs
- Character through Karate — middle and high school students · during the school day; daily in-school lessons
At a glance
- Ages: 11–18 years old
- General schedule: offered during the school day; daily in-school lessons
About the provider
Kickstart Kids was founded in 1990 and launched in four schools in 1992. This year, approximately 8,000 students are enrolled in 58 schools across Texas, and more than 120,000 students have benefitted since the program began. The Texas Education Agency has recognized Kickstart Kids, and it received the Safe School Awards from Crime Stoppers of Houston in 2015 and the North Texas Crime Commission in 2016.
What families say
“It teaches them discipline, hard work, respect and maybe the thing we need our students to learn the most, it teaches them character.” — Greg Abbott, Texas Governor
“There are so many children that I knew would be successful for life thanks to the character skills they learned from Kickstart Kids.” — Dr. Charles E. Dupre, Former Fort Bend Superintendent
“As a single mother, KSK proved to be the life saver my family needed as we began the middle school & high school journey.” — Laura Norman, Mother of Four KSK Black Belts
Last updated October 25, 2026.
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