Bronx Prep is a rigorous, college preparatory academic program that operates on an extended-day and extended- year schedule, allowing students to spend 50% more time in school than students attending traditional public schools. In order to graduate from Bronx Prep, one must receive acceptance to college, and this day of reckoning comes for our first students this spring. Strong academics and college prep are at the core of our mission, but we also believe that to educate well-rounded students, we must provide a wide variety of opportunities especially in music and art.

Bronx Preparatory Charter School currently serves 530 students in grades 5-12. The Bronx Prep program is divided into three stages: the first stage is the 5th-7th grades, the second stage is the 8th-10th grades, and the final stage is the 11th-12th grades.

During the 5th-7th grades, there is an intense focus on math and literacy skills. Students attend double periods of math and English, totaling 1 ½ - 2 hours of instruction in each of these subject areas each day. They also receive daily instruction in history, science, and the arts, as well as physical education twice a week.

Eighth grade is a transition year at Bronx Prep. Students start taking high school Regents exams in math and chemistry. They are introduced to high school level content in all courses.

Our 9th-12th grade program is taught through a classical high school curriculum. We aim for the majority of students to complete most Regents courses by the end of the 10th grade and all of the Regents courses by the end of the 11th grade. Therefore, during the 11th and 12th grades, students, having nearly or completely passed the Regents requirements, have the opportunity to take some advanced, college level courses.

The artistic program is part of our curricular day. Middle and high school students spend one hour a day, four days a week participating in artistic classes. Fifth graders take piano, 6th graders take a ½ year of art and a ½ year of theater, and 7th-11th graders are given free choice among theatre, advanced piano, violin, dance, art, drama, and percussion. Teacher/artists, some of them full-time and some part-time, teach the courses, and the curriculum builds toward major performances during the school year. Our artistic groups have also found many opportunities to perform at venues outside of the Bronx. This past year, our jazz band, the Odyssey, performed at our gala dinner at the Rainbow Room. Also, a group of students from our first-ever musical performed at the Housing Works Bookstore Café, during our spring fundraising event.

College is integrated into every aspect at Bronx Prep. Each grade is broken into teams for administrative purposes and those sections are named after colleges. Teachers hang their college banners and constantly refer to students' future higher education. This focus on college makes college an accepted part of our students' lives, making all students college-bound.

Preparing students for acceptance to college and success as a college student is at the core of Bronx Prep's mission. Beginning with the 5th grade, students visit New York City campuses as part of our effort to make college life real to them and to motivate them to achieve. As they get older, the college exposure program takes them even farther from home, with the majority our oldest two classes having visited such places as Stanford and Georgetown on class trips. Visiting these schools gives students tangible reasons as to why it is so important to work hard back in the classroom at Bronx Prep.

The college prep component has become even more critical as our oldest students are now seniors, and so we have taken this program to the next level. We have two full-time college counselors who are working on developing relationships with universities and preparing students for the college admissions process. We work with students on application writing skills in two discrete arenas: in high school English classes and through real applications for selective summer programs, which include MS^2 at Andover, Exeter Academy, Cornell University, Ithaca College, and the AFS program. We also work with students on SAT preparation during the school day.

It has been an exciting period for Bronx Prep as we prepare to be held accountable for our college preparatory mission. Several colleges have made recruitment visits, demonstrating that they are interested in Bronx Prep students as candidates for their programs. College representatives consistently comment on our students' attentiveness and astute questions. As our students interact with these admission officers, visit campuses, and take practice SATs, the promise that we made to each of them when they entered our program, "we will prepare you for college," is becoming reality. We will leave nothing to chance as we quickly approach the day when our college prep mission will be given its first true test.

Bronx Prep operates on an extended-day and extended-year schedule. Seventh - 11th grade students attend school from 7:50 AM until 4:00 PM and 5th and 6th graders are in school until 5 PM. We believe that extending time on task is essential to helping our students close the achievement gap. Our extended-day program enables our teachers to spend additional time with students and provide them with enrichment and extracurricular activities that we consider important aspects of student development. It also allows our teachers to focus on core academics during the traditional school day, doubling the amount of time spent on math and reading, while not eliminating enrichment activities. Finally, it provides a safe environment for our students during traditional after-school hours. For all these reasons, this program helps us to achieve our mission. In addition to our curricular artistic program, our extended-day enrichment program provides students with an opportunity to select from a wide variety of activities including student newspaper, student government, digital photography, piano, speech/debate, Model UN, dance, acting, art-service learning, business club, athletics, and academic remediation.

Lessons outside the classroom increase our students' understanding of the world and their desire to understand in the classroom. Bronx Prep's field lesson program takes students out of our isolated neighborhood into all that New York City and beyond has to offer. Students visit places such as Morgan Stanley, the Bronx Zoo, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern Art, and more. Many of these trips take place on Saturdays, to minimize classroom disruption. In the spring, each class takes a multi-day trip beyond New York City.