Bronx Preparatory Charter School is a public
middle and
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in
the South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
. Comprising students in grades 5-12, Bronx Prep graduated its first class of seniors in June 2007.
[Report Card, 2007, p. 2] The school is located in a modern facility designed and constructed by GLUCK+ Architects specifically for Bronx Prep at 3872 Third Avenue.
History
The founder of Bronx Prep is Kristin Kearns Jordan. She was also the first executive director of Bronx Prep until 2007, when she passed the reins to Dr. Samona Tait-Johnson. The position of director was subsequently renamed Head of School. Following Dr. Tait's tenure, Edwina Branch Smith served as Head of School. Nancy Garvey and Debbie Evangelakos, both Bronx Prep Board members at the time, then served as interim Co-Heads of School. In 2014 the school was taken over by the charter school organization
Democracy Prep, and is now called Democracy Prep Bronx Prep.
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 in 2004. In 2004 the school moved to the building which formerly occupied
Junior High School 149 on 149th St. and Willis Avenue. Bronx Prep reached 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.
One hundred percent of Bronx Prep's first high school graduating class, in 2007, were accepted to four-year colleges. The colleges to which these students earned admission include: Georgetown, NYU, Holy Cross, Syracuse, Fordham, SUNY-Albany, CUNY-City College, Hunter College, and Lehman College.
Academics
Charter school
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...
s are public schools which receive public funds through 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/sixth graders. Selected students attend middle school at Bronx Prep, and then, upon successful completion of requirements, are 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 New York State, Regents Examinations are statewide standardized examinations in core high school subjects. Students are required to pass these exams to earn a Regents Diploma. To graduate, students are required to have earned appropriate credit ...
in all of their core subjects. High school students, called visionaries and luminaries, attend college trips across the country. Bronx Prep also offers
Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...
courses, including AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP English-Language, AP English-Literature, AP Spanish-Language, AP Environmental Science, AP Global History, AP US History and AP Statistics.
Extracurricular activities
Bronx Prep students participate in extracurricular activities in the Charter School Athletics League and the
National Forensics League
The National Speech and Debate Association is an American student debating society. It was established in 1925 as the National Forensic League; the name was changed in 2014. It is one of four major national organizations that direct high school ...
. Some extracurricular activities at Bronx Prep combine the middle school and high school.
Extracurricular Activities available at Bronx Prep include:
Theater,
Student Council,
Speech/Forensics,
Math Team,
Science Olympiad,
Seekers Club,
National Honor Society,
Cheerleading,
Middle School and High School Boys and Girls Basketball,
Soccer (Boys and Girls),
Girls Volleyball,
Baseball,
Softball, and
Flag football (Co-Ed).
Footnotes
References
* New York State School Report Card
2006-2007 Accountability and Overview Report Bronx Preparatory Charter School 2006-07
NYTimes, May 30, 2004,
* ttps://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0E1FF93B5B0C758CDDAF0894D9404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fC%2fCharter%20Schools Repetition + Rap = Charter School Success NY Times, June 6, 2001
New Curriculum in Bronx Is Built on an Ideal
NYTimes August 23, 2000,
External links
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Public high schools in the Bronx
Public middle schools in the Bronx
Charter schools in New York City