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Public Prep Academies Named NYS Recognition Schools

Charting the Path to College Completion for 2,000 Scholars in NYC

6 min read

Public Prep is proud to share that all three Public Prep Academies – Girls Prep Lower East Side, Girls Prep Bronx, and Boys Prep Bronx – were recognized by New York State as Recognition Schools for their performance on the 2018-2019 NYS Exams.

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the state identifies “Recognition Schools” that have both high academic achievement and strong progress. Board of Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa described them as “exemplary public schools that demonstrate that all students can achieve at high levels with the right supports and resources.”  This honor has been bestowed upon the top 15% of schools in New York State.

Public Prep Highlights:

    • Public Prep Academies were 3 of 582 schools recognized in the state, placing the schools in the top 15%.

    • Public Prep Academies perform in the top 15% of all schools across New York State.

    • Girls Prep Lower East Side and Girls Prep Bronx were recognized for the 2nd year in a row.

    • Boys Prep Bronx’s strong performance on their 2018-2019 scores has moved them into the top 25% of schools in NYS.

    • Girls Prep Bronx is the only school (district or charter) in District 8 that was recognized.

    • Girls Prep Lower East Side is the only charter school in District 1 that was recognized.

Public Prep Academies annually outperform New York State, New York City, and the districts where they are located on the NYS Exams. In 2018-2019, Girls Prep Bronx outperformed District 8 on the ELA Exam by 44 percentage points. Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary School outperformed their co-located school by 36 percentage points on the ELA Exam. Boys Prep improved their Math Exam performance by 24 percentage points compared to the previous year.

“We are providing opportunities for thousands of children who are otherwise trapped in broken schools through no fault of their own,” shared Janelle Bradshaw, Public Prep Superintendent. “While we know there is always more work to do to continue to raise the bar for our scholars, we are proud of the recognition, which motivates our scholars and teachers to continue to excel at our high standards.”

During the transition to remote learning, the guiding principle, to ensure all scholars have access to a high quality education, has remained at the core.  Public Prep has prioritized providing engaging and rigorous learning opportunities for all scholars by deepening content, providing synchronous learning opportunities, and enhancing quality feedback.  Through cross-team collaboration, Public Prep is taking the opportunity to innovate and adapt in this new environment while ensuring that a predictable growth trajectory for all students remains constant.