Providing a Pathway to a Brighter Future.

When The Preuss School UCSD opened its doors in 1999, no one knew that it would become a national phenomenon. Preuss was the first of its kind: A charter middle and high school for low-income students striving to become the first in their families to graduate from a four-year college or university.

Now, some 15 years later, what began as an educational experiment is recognized as a model for success. Preuss graduates are consistently accepted to four-year colleges and universities at a rate of more than 90 percent and nearly 100 percent go on to some form of higher education.

Preuss has also earned numerous accolades and rankings. In 2014, it was named the top change-making school in America by The Daily Beast. For three years in a row, Newsweek named Preuss the top transformative high school in the nation, citing the school’s ability to lead the way in getting low-income and first-generation students ready for college and beyond. Preuss was also ranked a top charter school in California in a report by the University of Southern California, and has been consistently ranked as one of America’s best high schools by Newsweek, The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report, among others.

“Preuss demonstrates how opportunity, education and hard work can transform lives and provide students with a pathway to a brighter future,” Scott Barton, principal of The Preuss School UCSD tells Giving Back Magazine.

More and better learning time has been critical to the school’s ability to provide this path. Preuss students are in school longer each day and for 18 more days a year than the typical student in California, adding up to almost an entire extra academic year in their Preuss careers. With that additional learning time, Preuss has created a rigorous academic environment that offers students the support they need to succeed. But the cost of this extra time is not covered by the state. To ensure that future Preuss students have the same opportunities, the school launched the Campaign for Longer Learning Time. Each gift to the campaign supports the longer school day and school year at Preuss. The school’s annual benefit also raises funds that go, in part, toward longer learning time.

“Each gift ensures we can provide the transformative power of a Preuss education for generations of students to come,” said Barton.

To learn more about The Preuss School UCSD, visit http://preuss.ucsd.edu.