Bronx Preparatory Charter School

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Bronx Preparatory Charter School is a public school in the South Bronx consisting of a middle school and high school. Currently comprised of students in grades 5-12, in the 2006-2007 school year Bronx Prep will graduate its first class of seniors in 2007. The school is located in a modern facility designed and constructed specifically for Bronx Prep at 3872 Third Avenue. The founder and director of Bronx Prep is Kristin Kearns Jordan, the high school principal is Fred Givens, and the middle school principal is Jacqueline King. Bronx Prep was founded on the belief that all children in America deserve an education enabling them to fulfill their potential and realize their dreams.

Bronx Prep opened its doors in 2000 with its inaugural class of 100 5th and 6th graders. As one of fourteen schools chartered by the SUNY Charter Schools Institute out of ninety applicants in 1999, Bronx Prep was one of the first schools to be re-chartered for a full five-year term. Bronx Prep will reach full capacity of 700-800 students in grades 5-12 by 2011.

The combination of a middle and high school makes Bronx Prep unique among charter schools in New York City. This was done to prepare students for enrollment at competitive colleges. The mission of the Bronx Preparatory Charter School is to prepare underserved middle and high school students for higher education, civic involvement and lifelong success through a structured, caring environment of high academic expectations.

Charter schools are public schools which receive public funds though operate independently from local school boards. Bronx Prep is accountable to the SUNY Charter Schools Institute and the charter is up for renewal every five years. Students for Bronx Prep are selected through a lottery system and enter Bronx Prep as fifth graders. Selected students attend middle school at Bronx Prep for grades 5-8, and then, upon successful completion of requirements, are then promoted to Bronx Prep's high school.

The high school at Bronx Prep has many similarities to other New York City public high schools. Students at Bronx Prep take Regents exams in all of their major subjects. High school students, called visionaries and luminaires, attend college trips across the country. They also participate in extracurricular activities with students in other public high schools.

Extracurricular Activities Available at Bronx Prep's High School: