For a remarkable fourth year in a row, all 167 seniors at Urban Prep Academies schools (two Chicago public charter high schools) have been accepted at four-year colleges or universities this fall.
The all-male preparatory charter school network was founded in 2006. At that time, only four percent of its freshman class at its flagship Englewood campus was reading at grade level at the start of the school year. By 2010, all 107 of its graduating seniors were headed for college or university programs.
According to Fox Chicago, 85 percent of the students at Urban Prep's campuses come from low-income families and many of the students start at least two grade levels behind where they should be.
Urban Prep's founder and CEO Tim King says, "the only magic going on at Urban Prep is the magic that these guys put in with their hard work and dedication.”
