Urban Prep Academies (also known as Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men or simply Urban Prep) is a nonprofit organization that operated three free open-enrollment public all-male college-preparatory high schools in Chicago. Founded in 2002, and receiving its first charter approval from Chicago Public Schools in 2005, it operates the first all-male public charter high school in the United States. The network opened a second campus in 2009 and a third in August 2010. From 2010 to 2019, 100% of the seniors in the school's graduating classes were admitted to four-year colleges or universities. In 2023 its charter was revoked over misconduct allegations and Chicago Public Schools moved to take over its campuses. The decision is controversial and is being contested in court.
History
In 2002, a group of African-American civic, business, and education leaders, organized by former Hales Franciscan High School President Tim King, determined to establish a new high school in Chicago focused on providing a strong, college-preparatory high school option for boys in under-served African-American communities. African-American males had been, and continue to be, the lowest-performing demographic in Chicago Public Schools. A University of Chicago study published in 2006 reported that only one in 40 African-American boys in Chicago Public Schools will eventually graduate from a 4-year university. The Chicago Board of Education approved Urban Prep Academies' charter application in 2005, and Urban Prep opened its first school, Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men — Englewood Campus, the subsequent September. It is the first charter high school for boys in the country and currently enrolls 460 students in grades 9–12.
Urban Prep's second school opened in the East Garfield Park community in 2009, and moved to the near west side of the city in 2011. Urban Prep's third campus, serving the historic Bronzeville community, opened in 2010. Based on its success thus far, Urban Prep plans to open more schools in the Chicago area and in other low-performing urban centers. Approximately 85% of Urban Prep students are low-income and nearly all are African-American.
Admissions
Admission to Urban Prep is determined through a lottery system. Enrollment is open to all matriculating 9th grade boys living in Chicago. Information on the lottery admission process is available on Urban Prep's admissions webpage.
Support and funding
Urban Prep Academies is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible non-profit organization, and relies substantially on private donors to support its operations. The organization's largest source of funding is the Illinois State Board of Education, which funds all charter schools in the state on a per-pupil basis. In 2008, Urban Prep received an anonymous donation of $1,000,000. In 2009, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation donated $250,000.
Media
Urban Prep has been the subject of national and international news features. Virtually all local television news outlets in Chicago have profiled the schools, as have CNN and the 700 Club on their national broadcasts. Print media on the school has included pieces in the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Chicago Tribune, Ebony magazine and The Guardian. During the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, Urban Prep students who had traveled to Washington D.C. were interviewed on CNN with newscaster Don Lemon. During the interview, Lemon referred to the students as the "Little Obamas." CNN has used the phrase to refer to Urban Prep students in subsequent newscasts, and Oprah Winfrey repeated the phrase when discussing the school in a segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show regarding education in the US.
