Frequently Asked Questions

List of 7 frequently asked questions.

  • Q. How does Prep for Prep select and prepare its students?

    Our students largely come from New York City’s public schools. Over 300 schools nominate fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-graders who have scored in the top ten percent on statewide English and Math tests. From over 3,500 nominated students, approximately 125 fifth- and sixth-graders and 75 seventh-graders are admitted to our Preparatory Component. Students who successfully complete the 14-month academic program are placed in independent school.
  • Q. Doesn’t Prep for Prep take many of the best students out of the New York City public schools?

    About one million students are enrolled in New York City public schools. Prep for Prep accepts about 200 students into the program every year (or about .0002% of the city’s public school student population).
  • Q. After students enter independent school, how does Prep for Prep ensure their success?

    We expect our students not just to excel academically but to become role models within their independent school and college communities and, ultimately, leaders in the world at large. We support our students with a comprehensive, individualized approach: personal and academic counseling, a strong peer network, a family emergency assistance fund, tutoring and psychological support services when needed, and more. As our students grow and mature, we offer a range of professional and leadership opportunities to complement their academic and extracurricular endeavors.
  • Q. Wouldn’t the students you work with excel academically and succeed without Prep for Prep?

    Unfortunately, no. According to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's extensive study of high-achieving, low-income students, that is not the case. The study describes what happens to such children as “the achievement trap.” Educators, policymakers, and the public assume they can fend for themselves, but these students “disproportionately fall out of the high-achieving group during elementary and high school, they rarely rise into the ranks of high achievers during those periods, and, perhaps most disturbingly, far too few ever graduate from college or go on to graduate school.”
  • Q. Is Prep for Prep a scholarship program?

    Prep for Prep is not a scholarship program. We do not pay tuition or provide scholarships. Instead, nearly 80 independent day and boarding school partners provide over $35 million annually in need-based financial aid to our students. Our students also receive generous financial aid packages from their colleges and graduate schools.
  • Q. Why is Prep for Prep exclusively for students of color?

    Prep for Prep believes our nation needs more leaders who reflect our increasingly diverse society. Our mission is to develop future leaders by providing gifted young people of color access to a first-rate education and an array of leadership development and professional advancement opportunities.
  • Q. What is the most effective way to help Prep for Prep achieve its goal of developing exceptional young leaders of color?

    Prep for Prep’s work is made possible by the generous financial support of individuals, foundations, and corporations. Prep for Prep receives no public monies, and charges no tuition to its students. Please consider making a contribution or helping us secure paid summer internships for our students.
ADMISSIONS & 
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS 
163 West 91st Street
New York, NY 10024
P: 212.579.1470
LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS & 
ADMINISTRATION 
328 West 71st Street
New York, NY 10023
P: 212.579.1390
We envision a nation guided by ethical and effective leaders that reflect our diverse society. 

Prep for Prep's mission is to develop future leaders by creating access for young people of color to first-rate educational, leadership development and professional opportunities.