Boys Prep Bronx Charter School

Boys Prep Bronx Charter School seeks to empower and educate boys in a single-sex setting. The school offers an unusual five days a week of science, five special classes that include violin, dance and vocal music, and a nice selection of sports such as flag football, soccer and track.

The school day is longer than usual, from 8 am to 3:10 pm. Drop off starts as early as 7:05 am and students in grades 1-6 may stay for after school activities, for a small monthly fee, until 6 pm. 

The longer school day allows students to spend extra time on reading and math lessons. All students spend time daily on “close reading” the practice of reading carefully, with a teacher’s guidance, and taking notes, to glean the deepest meaning from a text.

Math and science are project-based and filled with hands-on activities. For math, students spend one of two periods each day dissecting and solving  complex problems and presenting their strategies to the class. State test scores in reading and math are strong, including for children with disabilities.

The tone is cheerful and warm. Boys are greeted by name as they arrive for the day, receiving hugs and handshakes. Students gather weekly for a meeting, during which teachers honor the “scholar of the week” from each class. The principal also notes special efforts, for example, the child battling asthma who still manages to get to school.

“We teach empathy,” said principal Khalek Kirkland, who took the helm in 2018, “and not just in words.” 

Boys Prep finds ways to give students individual help to boost academics. Three teachers take between 2-4 kids out of class to work on reading as often as five times a week. A large 6th grade math class was split into three smaller groups at the time of our visit. 

The school has two co-ed pre-kindergarten classes (called PrePrep) and has launched a program for 18-month-old siblings of older students, in which a staffer goes into the family’s home twice a week to promote reading. 

Founded in 2014, the school is modeled on Girls Prep Lower East Side, the first all-girls charter school in New York City. Public prep charters differ from charters with very strict codes of conduct by favoring more input from teachers and a more relaxed atmosphere, said Josie Carbone, founding principal of Girls Prep Bronx, who has moved on to a position of leadership in the Public Prep network. A second Girls Prep will open in 2020.

A downside: Teacher turnover is high, though staffers can find good opportunities for growth here, such as the teacher’s assistant who became the dance teacher. “Teaching at a boy’s school isn’t for everyone,” Kirkland said. 

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Children with disabilities receive plenty of individual help and make good progress, state test scores show. There are speech, physical and occupational therapists on staff.

ADMISSIONS: By lottery. The school is committed to filling every space that opens up, including mid-year. Most students continue in the middle school. Roughly 1600 applicants apply for various grades including the 125 kindergarten seats. (Lydie Raschka, February 2020)