Urban Prep Sees 100% Again

Thelma Sardin |

Last week, Mayor Daley, elected officials and dignitaries visited Urban Prep Academies (UP) to celebrate a joyous occasion. For the second consecutive year, one hundred percent of UPs graduating class was accepted to college. Last year, UP gained global attention for its accomplishment of 100 percent of its first graduating class garnering college acceptance letters.

UP has three campuses throughout the city including in the East Garfield Park, Englewood and South Shore neighborhoods. UP is the countrys first all-male public charter high school consisting of all African American student body.

Daley commended students, faculty and staff members on achieving a 100 percent acceptance rate for its students to attend a four-year college or university for the second year in row.

According to a recent press release, this year there are 104 seniors who have been accepted to colleges across the nation. Last year, 107 seniors were accepted to colleges nation-wide including Connecticut College, Denison College, Howard University, Morehouse College, Northwestern University, Rutgers University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

When I was here last year in March, I was happy to be part of an historical moment. All of Urban Prep Englewoods first graduating class had been accepted to college. Im happy to say that once again, this years entire graduating class has been accepted to college. Thats unheard of but its becoming an annual occurrence at Urban Prep, said Daley.

Tim King, Founder and Chief Educational Officer of Urban Prep Academies said obtaining a good education is not just about attending school. ...Its about families having great educational options and educators using all techniques at their disposal to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

In a recent open letter, King explained that the Class of 2011 faced the same challenges as the prior graduating class. Just like Urban Prep's class of 2010, these young men have faced seemingly insurmountable odds as they worked towards college acceptance. In Chicago, the data are shocking: only 40% of African-American males complete high school; as few as 54% of high school graduates enroll in college, and just 2.5% of African-American males will earn a Bachelor's degree. Our seniors, with a 100% college acceptance rate, are creating their own, much more positive, statistics.

According to an Associated Press report, the average college enrollment rate for Chicago Public Schools was just over 54 percent. The average graduation rate for black males was 41 percent.

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