Chicago Public Schools is expanding a program that helps student-athletes qualify for college scholarships.
According to the Axios Chicago, Chicago tech company Honest Game is working with 84 CPS high school to help student-athletes navigate the college academic eligibility process. The expansion comes after Honest Game and CPS completed a pilot with 10 area schools last year.
Honest Game helps student-athletes with everything from class schedules to tracking the recruiting process. It also works with the district to tailor new classes for student-athletes.
According to Honest Game, the program is important because 41 percent of Illinois high school student-athletes are at risk of being academically ineligible for athletic scholarships. In Chicago, nearly $89 million in scholarships are lost every year.
Axios notes that almost 1 million student-athletes per year nationally are deemed academically ineligible due to simple things like mistakenly enrolling in classes that do not meet NCAA requirements.
"We're leveling the playing field so that every student has a fair and equitable opportunity to attend college," Kim Michelson, CEO and co-founder of Honest Game, said in a release.
