Knoxville Preparatory School opens doors for first school year

The public charter school operator Prep Public Schools is looking to replicate the success of Chattanooga Preparatory School with another all-boys charter school that just opened its doors for its first school year last Thursday.

Brad Scott, CEO of Prep Public Schools, said the new Knoxville Preparatory School will look to provide students in grades 6-12 access to project-based education, with a focus on learning skills relating to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). He said that that the school was established thanks to the input and advocacy of community members, families and others who wanted to see a charter school similar to Chattanooga Prep in the area. Charter schools are free public schools operated by an independent contract or “charter” with an authorizing agency.

“We were honored a year ago when the Knox County School Board approved our application. We're hiring an excellent school team, leaders and teachers, and we’ve recruited students,” he said. “We actually did a lot of trips driving back and forth from Chattanooga to Knoxville and spent a lot of time in Knoxville talking to community members, engaging with the community, talking to parents and potential students.

“We [also] hosted several bus trips from Knoxville to Chattanooga for community members in Knoxville to see Chattanooga Prep’s success,” he continued. “Chattanooga Prep has been named a [Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System] Level Five campus for the past three years, and a Reward Campus last year, so our record and results were definitely known in Knoxville. That helped build credibility in Knoxville with the Knoxville community as we launched Knoxville Prep.”

Scott said that much like at Chattanooga Prep, Knox Prep’s curriculum focuses heavily on building students’ proficiency in math and literacy, which have been key concerns among state education policymakers in recent years, in order to better prepare them for rewarding careers later in life.

“Starting in sixth grade, all students take two math classes and two English language arts (ELA) classes, so we’re doubling time in both core areas to help [address performance] gaps. Many of our scholars come to us reading on second and third-grade levels, so that double time helps fill those gaps,” he said, adding that Prep’s curriculum and programming is modeled much after the curriculum used at Success Academy, a charter network in New York.

“All of our middle school students take computer science. We offer Spanish, we offer fine arts, and a library of subjects that helps prepare students for the future.”

As in Hamilton County with Chattanooga Prep, Scott said the tuition-free all-boys school looks to serve “any young man” in Knoxville, particularly those who come from low-income families and from traditionally underserved student populations.

“Our model is designed to give those students, lower income students and any student in either county, access to a college-going education. Charter schools in general in the state are giving access to school choice to families that may not be able to afford to pay for a private school or move to a school zone with better schools,” he said. “This [work] levels the playing field by providing a school choice option for a tuition free school to families who might need that and want to choose us."

Scott said Knox Prep currently serves 105 students in sixth grade, with plans to expand for grades 6-12 much like at Chattanooga Prep, which serves about 580 students. He added that Prep Public Schools also hopes to expand options for both boys and girls moving forward, though details for that vision have yet to be announced. For now, he said he’s just excited to get Knox Prep’s first school year underway.

“We're excited to be open. We're going to serve kids and ensure they get a great education. We look forward to Knox Prep showing the community in Knoxville that we can provide excellence for kids,” he said.