In August 2009, the first cohort of 40 students from Williamsburg Collegiate Charter Schooll entered their freshman year of high school at Uncommon Charter High School (UCHS). The school will eventually expand to hold 800 students in grades 9-12.

Uncommon Charter High School fulfills the Collegiate, Excellence, and Preparatory schools’ mission of preparing students to enter, succeed in, and graduate from college. New York City students from elementary and middle schools in the Uncommon Schools network will enroll in UCHS when they begin 9th grade. The leaders of the elementary, middle, and high school programs will work together to ensure consistency in programming and core values. Importantly, the school building’s student-staff ratio will remain approximately 10:1, ensuring a high level of attention to individual student needs. 

Uncommon Charter High School's educational program is based upon Three Pillars:

• We believe that creativity flourishes within a structured academic environment. Good work cannot occur unless there is a safe and orderly environment in and out of the classroom.
• We have high academic and behavioral expectations. High expectations demand significant amounts of extra support before, during, and after school and on Saturdays.
• We know that without great teachers, nothing else matters. Teachers must have the time and professional tools and resources to do their jobs effectively.

At Uncommon Charter High School, we do not believe that there is a panacea that makes a school work. Nor do we pretend that what we do is "rocket science" or necessarily innovative. We work hard and use common sense because elevating student achievement and transforming lives requires constant attention to hundreds of different elements -- not one, magical 100% solution but rather one hundred, individual 1% solutions.




The mission of Uncommon Charter High School is to prepare each student to enter, succeed in, and graduate from college.