Roxbury Preparatory Charter School

CONTACT:

120 Fisher Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02120
617-566-2361, x101
www.roxburyprep.org

Dana L. Lehman and Joshua J. Phillips, Co-Directors

DESCRIPTION:

Roxbury Prep is a charter middle school (grades 6-8), founded in 1999 to enable Boston students to gain admission to college-preparatory high schools. In 2004 it was ranked the highest-achieving urban middle school in Massachusetts, and the U.S. Department of Education has chosen it to appear in a book highlighting the top performing charter schools in America. The key to its success is good old-fashioned hard work; the daily curriculum includes two literacy classes, two mathematics classes, social studies and science, and a mandatory hour-long enrichment program after school. Extra learning opportunities are available before and after school, on Saturdays and in the summer. The school serves 190 students, and so far all graduates — 100% — have been accepted to college-preparatory high schools; in all four MCAS tests, the percentage of RPC students scoring “advanced” or “proficient” was higher than that of non-minority students statewide — thus closing the racial academic achievement gap found elsewhere. Its excellence, moreover, extends beyond academics: Students participate in community service, arts and athletic programs, and weekly community meetings to help build school spirit. There is a clear public interest in the success of the charter school movement, and here is one of its leading lights, for your investment.

(2005: CULTURE: Education: Formal: Schools)