College Connection
Through a partnership with The Community College of Philadelphia, The Preparatory Charter School offers eligible senior students the opportunity to attend credit bearing college classes.
Athletic Connection
The Preparatory Charter School offers students an exciting array of athletic options. The Preparatory Charter School competes within the Public League and adheres to PIAA standards.
Career Connection
Through our Career Development Internship Program, student education is joined with the skills acquired in a workplace environment. Students are placed in various internship sites throughout Philadelphia.
The Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Careers
Who are We?
Preparatory Charter High School, or Prep Charter, Is a tuition-free, college preparatory schooling option for Philadelphia students in grades nine through twelve. Our mission is to promote a nurturing and challenging atmosphere where students will achieve high academic standards. We offer full support for English Language Learners,(ELL/ESL) and special education populations. Prep is also the only school in the city to offer a career development program, which prepares students for the workforce and exposes them to community service. In this way, The Preparatory Charter High School serves to strengthen the Philadelphia community by deepening the commitment between the community and its young people.
The History of Prep Charter
Prep Charter Was founded in 1998 with a vision to bring to South Philadelphia a college prep school that had been lacking in the area. The Public tuition free schools in the area were South Philadelphia High School and Furness. Of course, there were parochial schools that charged tuition, but they were not considered college preparatory schools. There were also special admissions schools like GAMP (for music) and CAPA (art). In order to find a true college prep school, you would have to travel out of South Philadelphia for Central, Girls High, and St. Joe’s Prep etc.
At the time, the idea of a “Charter Model” was not to emulate public education but to innovate and experiment so that public education could learn what worked best and how they could improve and better serve their students. The public school system was not, at the time, working well for parents or students as was evidenced by a twenty-year decline in the tax base. Public schools were suffering either due to a lack of challenge or growing violence or both. As a result, parents who stayed in the city were sending their children to parochial and private schools regardless of whether they could afford it.
With The Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Careers, students from all over Philadelphia could find both a safe and challenging place to learn. Each child had the opportunity to thrive in a system that pushed them to reach his or her potential through a rigorous curriculum, challenging athletics, and career development opportunities. The theory was that the higher you set the bar, the higher each child would reach.
Today, The Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Careers continues to thrive. Our graduating classes average approximately 95% acceptance into college and each year our number of freshman applicants increases. It is our vision to continue promoting a safe and challenging place for students to learn and to prosper as professionals.