For an astounding fourth year in a row, all 167 seniors at Urban Prep Acadamies’ schools have been accepted at four-year colleges or universities this fall.
When the national rate of graduation for public schools is 78-percent, that any school could have a 100-percent graduation rate with all of its students accepted into colleges and universities is truly remarkable. That that could happen four years in a row is seemingly impossible. But students of the two Chicago public charter high schools have defied all odds and done it again.
On Thursday morning, students gathered to celebrate their achievements at Urban Prep, which some people have dubbed the “Hogwarts in the Hood” for their seemingly magical rate of success. The academy’s founder and CEO, Tim King, knows it takes a lot more than luck or magic to get these results.
“The only magic going on at Urban Prep is the magic that these guys put in with their hard work and dedication,” King said.
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.
And just when you think the schools could not get any more astounding, the statistics bring more surprises. 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, and on top of that all of this year’s graduates are African American males, as are the majority of the network’s students. Statistically, based on the demographics, this school should be floundering, but it continues to soar.
Citi Foundation presented a $150,000 donation to the network’s alumni association at the Thursday celebration. The association helps the schools’ graduates in their secondary education pursuits, and with so many graduating seniors the association could have a lot to handle in upcoming years. With the school’s remarkable track record and the students’ incredible passion and drive, though, it would be surprising if many students needed a lot of help. Then again, maybe it is the school’s support system that makes it so successful.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, present on Thursday, said that the network’s students were setting a fine example others should follow.
“I want everyone in this city, I want everyone in this country to look up here,” Emanuel said.
Video: NBC Chicago