In August 2000, the Young Women's Leadership Charter School of Chicago opened its doors to 75 sixth graders and 75 ninth graders chosen by lottery from an applicant pool of students from all over the city. Today, we start our school year with over 300 young women in grades 7–12 and we graduated our fifth class of seniors in June 2008.

For all of our students, the learning goals of solid academic achievement and college and career preparation are paired with clear goals for the development of leadership potential and personal and social growth.