South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School

South Bronx Prep, which serves grades 6-12, has an excellent record graduating students on time, including those with special needs and those who start middle school with weak academic skills. It’s an orderly school with small classes, a caring staff, and lots of support.

Most classes have two or three adults. Every student is assigned an advisor who gets to know them well, challenging them when necessary and sometimes just making a helpful phone call to remind them to bring their gym shorts.

“They don’t let you drown here,” a student told us on one of our visits. “They don’t hold your hand all the way, but [they] help you do what you never thought you could do.”

Eileen Flanagan, principal since 2007, is an effective manager; nearly all the teachers recommend the school to prospective parents, according to school surveys. Attendance is above average, despite the fact that a significant number of students are in temporary housing, which typically makes it hard to get to school on time.

Located a short walk from the high traffic shopping Hub, South Bronx Prep shares a building with MS 223. Principals of both schools say they have a good working relationship and commonly share resources.

While the school has long served struggling students well, it is working on ways to challenge top students, according to the Comprehensive Education Plan. All students have access to Advanced Placement classes. In addition, students may earn college credits by taking Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA) classes, taught by their own high school teachers who have received extra training.

Special education:  Special education is one of the school’s strengths. The school serves students with a range of disabilities, including some who are speech impaired and some who are emotionally disturbed, according to the school’s Comprehensive Education Plan. With support and encouragement, many middle school students move from “self-contained” classes to team-teaching classes by 9th grade. the school has a very high graduation rate for students with IEPs.

Admissions: District 7 choice for middle school. Continuing 8th-graders get priority for high school admissions; others are admitted according to the educational option formula designed to ensure a mix of low-, average- and high-peforming students. There are far more applicants that seats available. (Clara Hemphill, web reports, November 2018)