Our Approach

Uncommon Schools starts and manages outstanding urban charter public schools that close the achievement gap and prepare low-income students to graduate from college.

At Uncommon Schools, our classrooms are named after colleges because that’s where our students are headed. We are a nonprofit network of public charter schools in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Our 32 college prep schools consistently rank among the highest-performing in their home states for three reasons:

• We know all students have what it takes to go to college. We are fiercely committed to cultivating the intellectual curiosity and grit that will spur their success in the classroom and in their communities.
• We create and constantly fine-tune our systems to help teachers teach and students learn.
• We know that without great teachers and leaders, nothing else matters. We also know there’s no limit to learning. That’s why people development is at our core.