“I believe in the power of education to change lives. Even in the face of poverty, discrimination, sub-standard housing, gangs and other stress, there is a way out and up: College!”

-Derrick Griffith
CUNY Prep’s Principal and Director

CUNY Prep is committed to developing life-long learners who have the academic, personal, and social skills necessary for higher education, expanded life opportunities, and active participation in community and civic affairs. The program offers out-of-school youth between the ages of 16 and 18 an opportunity for full-time study for the purposes of re-entering high school or for admission to college by obtaining a high school equivalency diploma (GED). The school is a collaborative effort between the City University of New York and the Mayor’s Commission for Economic Opportunity.

In the four years since it opened, CUNY Prep has already sent more than 140 of its graduates on to college. Other CUNY Prep grads have enrolled in respected trade schools.

To succeed, we expect all members of our community to commit to and actively support the following credo:

• We are a confident in our community and believe all youth can learn and succeed.
• We hold members of our community accountable to the highest standards.
• We are a resilient community that recognizes that our greatest challenges are also our greatest learning moments.
• We have the ability and support we need to work through issues and difficulties, thereby growing in the process.
• We are a reflective community, and believe that continuously thinking about our successes, challenges and decisions enables us to become reflective individuals who value one another's ideas, strengths and differences.
• We are a wide-reaching community and recognize the importance of developing relationships with caring adults in the home family and community.

At CUNY Prep, we believe in Resilience — bouncing back from our past experiences; Reflection — thinking about what we're doing and why we're doing it; and Success — accompishing our goals. These three pillars shape our school culture.