D C Preparatory Academy

DC PREP IS A NETWORK OF PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS SERVING STUDENTS IN WASHINGTON, DC.

D.C. PREPARATORY ACADEMY'S (DC PREP) MISSION IS TO BRIDGE THE EDUCATIONAL DIVIDE IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WITH THE ACADEMIC PREPARATION AND PERSONAL CHARACTER TO SUCCEED IN COMPETITIVE HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES. DC PREP CURRENTLY OPERATES FIVE TUITION-FREE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS THAT ARE OPEN TO ANY CHILD IN WASHINGTON, ENROLLING MORE THAN 2,100 STUDENTS IN GRADES PRESCHOOL THROUGH 8TH GRADE. HISTORICALLY, 98% OF DC PREP STUDENTS ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND 2% ARE HISPANIC; OVER 80% OF STUDENTS LIVE IN POVERTY, AS MEASURED BY ELIGIBILITY FOR FREE/REDUCED PRICE MEALS.DC PREP HAS A TWIN FOCUS ON HIGH QUALITY ACADEMICS AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL GROWTH. DURING OUR 19 YEARS AS A CHARTER NETWORK, WE HAVE ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANT RESULTS ACROSS THREE KEY AREAS: QUALITY REPORTS, OSSE REPORT CARDS, AND ALUMNI SUCCESS. EACH YEAR, THE DC PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL BOARD ISSUES AN OVERALL RANKING OF SCHOOLS' ACADEMIC AND CULTURE PROGRESS, RANKING EACH SCHOOL BETWEEN TIER 1 (THE HIGHEST) AND TIER 3 (THE LOWEST). ALL FIVE DC PREP CAMPUSES EARNED A TIER 1 RANKING ON THE 2019 SCHOOL QUALITY REPORTS, THE HIGHEST RANKING. ADDITIONALLY, AEC RECEIVED ONE OF THE HIGHEST SCORES IN THE CITY. THE DC OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION RELEASES AN ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE. THIS SERVES AS A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF HOW SCHOOLS ARE PREPARING STUDENTS FOR OVERALL SUCCESS. IN ITS INAUGURAL YEAR, OSSE AWARDED ALL ELIGIBLE DC PREP CAMPUSES FOUR STARS.EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, AND ALIGNED WITH DC PREP'S MISSION, EVERY DC PREP 8TH GRADE GRADUATE (600+) HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY A COLLEGE-PREP HIGH SCHOOL, WITH OVER TWO-THIRDS OFFERED ADMISSION TO SELECTIVE SCHOOLS INCLUDING BENJAMIN BANNEKER, CHOATE ROSEMARY HALL, THE FIELD SCHOOL, GEORGETOWN PREP, THE HILL SCHOOL, MARET, PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY, ST. ALBANS, SIDWELL FRIENDS SCHOOL, AND SCHOOL WITHOUT WALLS, AMONG OTHERS. OUR STUDENTS HAVE GONE ON TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL AT AN AVERAGE RATE OF 97%, SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE DCPS AVERAGE OF 65% AND THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF 83%. IN ADDITION, OUR STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE AT ROUGHLY 3X THE RATE OF THEIR PEERS NATIONALLY (27% OF OUR 2009 8TH GRADERS HAVE NOW GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE VS 11% OF STUDENTS FROM FAMILIES IN THE BOTTOM 40% OF HOUSEHOLD WEALTH); BASED ON CURRENT COLLEGE MATRICULATION & COLLEGE PERSISTENCE RATES, WE ANTICIPATE THAT OUR ALUMNI'S COLLEGE GRADUATION RATE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.ULTIMATELY, DC PREP HOPES TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN IMPROVING PUBLIC EDUCATION IN DC AND IN THE COUNTRY. WE ARE PARTICULARLY COMMITTED TO SERVING THE STUDENTS OF WASHINGTON DC'S WARDS 5, 7 & 8. CHILDREN IN THESE WARDS HAVE HISTORICALLY HAD ACCESS TO FEWER HIGH-QUALITY PUBLIC SCHOOL OPTIONS - AN UNACCEPTABLE BARRIER TO OPPORTUNITY. WE BELIEVE THAT ALL STUDENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO A GREAT EDUCATION AND THAT, WITH ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS, ALL STUDENTS CAN ACHIEVE GREAT OUTCOMES. WE BELIEVE THAT OUR WORK DEMONSTRATES EXACTLY THAT.