YES Prep expansion to include new North Forest campus

TOP: R.E. Kirby Middle School


NORTHEAST — YES Prep Charter Schools recently announced a Phase II Growth Plan that will allow the local institution to grow to 13 schools and 10,000 students in the next ten years. They now have seven campuses serving 3,500 students, according to the information furnished to the Northeast News by school officials.

The next campus to be added, they said, will be at North Forest. Working with the school district, they have arranged to use the closed R.E. Kirby Middle School as their eighth campus, and to have 6th and 9th grade classes by August. This will eventually grow into a full seven-grade campus, with 800 students, the model they have followed on their other sites, according to Ryan dolibois, a YES spokesman.

Superintendent Adrain Johnson of the North Forest ISD stated that this new charter school will give students more options for their education, and praised the emphasis that YES schools place on college preparation.

In addition, YES stands for Youth Engaged in Service, and every YES student must put in 100 hours of community service during their years in school.

North Forest is planning a community meeting on Wednesday night, May 26, at 6:30 p.m., at Thurgood Marshall School on Winfield Rd. At that time, representatives from YES Prep will outline the plans for the new charter school, and solicit interest from students and their parents. Commitment letters will need to be submitted by the end of June, and special summer orientation classes will be held July 12-23, with regular classes starting in August.

There is no tuition to attend a YES Prep charter school. Money to run the school comes from state funding and private donations. All students may apply, regardless of their grades of behavior history. They are chosen in a lottery system, but officials also say that distance from the school is a factor, too.

Currently, 100% of YES Prep students go on to college, Bolibois said, and 80% of the college grads return to the Houston area for work and service to the community.

Dr. Johnson indicated that NFISD will have opportunities for collaborative training and professional development with YES Prep, aiding both school systems.

(This story has been truncated for the web. For the full version, please see our print edition.)