As a public charter school, Bronx Prep has a unique opportunity to educate students in their community environment while working to generate genuine and lasting reform in the public schools by serving as a model of excellence. New York City's public schools enroll 1.1 million students, and, with the exception of family, nothing is more important than a child's school in determining his or her prospects for success.

During our first four years, Bronx Prep operated out of a space that we rented from a Catholic church. This space filled our space needs through the 2003-2004 school year, but we knew that by the 2004-2005 we would outgrow our founding facility. Early on, we began discussing future facility needs and looking for suitable space.

After considerable research, we decided that our best option was to build a new building. In the fall of 2002, Friends of Bronx Prep acquired a 44,000 square foot parcel of land from the city through a lease-to-own arrangement. The site is located six blocks from our original site and a block from Crotona Park. We began construction in December of 2002. The campus is now complete, and for the first time this year, we inhabit both phases of the building.

Our new school campus, which will eventually accommodate 700 - 800 students in grades 5 - 12 , is designed to give students the preparation they need to attend college, beginning early enough to make a difference and providing continuity through high school. By constructing a state-of-the-art facility in the neighborhood, we are demonstrating our belief in the community. It is our hope that the presence of Bronx Prep will encourage business investment in the neighborhood and raise standards in the district's public schools by providing an alternate model for success on the local level.

While our new abundance of space brings its own challenges, we are tackling them head on. The costs are certainly outweighed by the benefits, beginning with the building's enhancement of our college-preparatory atmosphere, adequate space for our extended-day enrichment program, and the extremely important message it sends to children that they deserve the very best. "All this just for us?" was the question of one sixth grader when he went inside for the very first time. It was a poignant sentiment, as it spoke loudly to some of our students' low expectations and sense of self worth, which we work to turn around every day. Once the entire project is done, we will have a school that can comfortably accommodate 700 - 800 students and will provide them with space for effective academic learning and important extended-day enrichment activities.

With the completion of our campus, Bronx Prep offers the only rigorous, college-preparatory public 5-12 program of choice in New York City that welcomes all students without selective admission. We are establishing a unique model that provides comprehensive support for underserved students in grades 5 through 12 and gives them adequate time to prepare for the rigors of the best colleges. The Bronx Prep model is one that can be replicated and used to encourage reform in public schools.