Accepting K-12 applications in Harlem and the Bronx

Democracy Prep’s mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars for success in the college of their choice and a life of active citizenship.

Founded in 2005 and opening our first school in 2006, Democracy Prep set out to prove what is possible for public education in America. Our flagship school, Democracy Prep Charter Middle School, first opened its doors in August 2006. By 2009, DPCS became the highest performing school in Central Harlem and was ranked the number one public middle school in New York City.

Our scholars have been accepted to some of the most competitive schools in the country including Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and Yale. We have a team dedicated to helping our alumni through college by offering financial literacy training, mentoring, academic assistance, and microgrants. 100% of our graduates are admitted to at least two four-year colleges.

By proving that students, regardless of what ZIP code they are born into, can perform at high academic levels, we seek to transform not only the lives of the students at Democracy Prep, but also the expectation of what public schools can achieve.

Democracy Prep’s Korean Program is one of the many aspects of our curriculum that set us apart from other schools. Our scholars are among the only African-American and Latino students in the nation learning Korean. All high school scholars at Democracy Prep take three years of Korean Language and the Korean Regents exam. High school scholars can also earn a trip to South Korea. This year, 80 New York scholars will travel to South Korea. Studying Korean proves our scholars can learn anything if they choose to work hard at it, and it makes them unique.

Our Global Citizens Program provides scholars with local, national, and international opportunities to see the world. The program fosters a deep commitment to global citizenship. By examining issues that matter to them, their families, their communities and the world, our scholars develop a curiosity about their responsibility towards the wider global society. By the time they graduate from high school, our alumni will have had the opportunity to travel to up to five different continents including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. All high school scholars have the opportunity to apply for a spot on any of our international trips.

Knowledge and skills alone aren’t enough. Our scholars need to feel an obligation to be true and authentic citizens of a community. Civic education starts in kindergarten. Our citizen-scholars are prepared with explicit knowledge, skills, and dispositions to take leadership roles in civil society and democratic institutions upon graduation from college. Every Democracy Prep school has a civic education coordinator who creates and implements our civics curriculum for each campus and tracks our citizen-scholars’ long-term civic dispositions. The American Enterprise Institute recently identified Democracy Prep as one of the nation’s leaders in civic education.

Democracy Prep scholars are required to graduate with the Advanced Regents Diploma and our educators provide rigorous instruction to ensure their success. This diploma is an important addition to a student's file when applying to colleges and universities.

Democracy Prep Public Schools currently operates 22 high-performing schools and one program in New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Baton Rouge, and Las Vegas, educating 6,500 citizen-scholars. Our schools are also committed to providing extra-curricular activities through our arts and sports programs.

All Democracy Prep staff and scholars live by the “DREAM” values of Discipline, Respect, Enthusiasm, Accountability and Maturity. We are is committed to educating all scholars, regardless of past academic or behavioral issues. Democracy Prep also welcomes scholars with special needs and English language learners.

Visit www.democracyprep.org for more information.