Our History
Recognizing the incredible need for better educational options for his fifth-grade students, Chris Barbic created Project YES in 1995 at Rusk Elementary with a group of dedicated families and teachers.
Following its success, YES Prep Public Schools was officially founded three years later. Under his leadership, YES Prep grew into an award-winning charter school for system for underserved communities throughout Houston.
District Milestones
1990s
1995 - Founder Chris Barbic recognizes the incredible need for better educational options for his fifth-grade students and began Project YES with a group of dedicated families and teachers.
1998 - YES College Prep is awarded a charter from the State of Texas (Inaugural campus is YES Prep Southeast).
2000s
2001 - YES College Prep’s first group of 17 seniors graduate, 100% of whom were accepted to a four-year college.
2003 - YES Prep opens its first expansion campus, YES Prep North Central Secondary.
2004 - YES Prep opens third campus, YES Prep Southwest Secondary.
2006 - YES Prep opens fourth campus, YES Prep East End Secondary.
2007 - YES Prep opens fifth campus, YES Prep Gulfton Secondary and is featured for the first time in the top 100 High School in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
2009 - YES Prep opens sixth and seventh campus, YES Prep Brays Oaks Secondary and YES Prep West Secondary.
- In 2009, YES Prep also becomes the first charter system with teacher certification capacity in Texas through its Teaching Excellence program .
2010s
2010 - YES Prep opens its eight campus, YES Prep North Forest Secondary.
- In 2010, the Houston Business Journal names YES Prep one of the top places to work in Houston.
- In 2010, YES Prep receives $1 million from the Oprah Winfrey on national television.
2011 - YES Prep opens its ninth and tenth campus, YES Prep Fifth Ward Secondary and YES Prep Northside Secondary.
2012 - YES Prep opens its first district-partnership school, YES Prep Northbrook Middle School, as part of the collaboration with Spring Branch ISD and KIPP Houston. YES Prep Northbrook Middle School becomes YES Prep's eleventh campus.
2013 - YES Prep opens its twelfth and thirteenth campus- YES Prep Hoffman Middle School and YES Prep White Oak Secondary. (Note: YES Prep Hoffman was YES Prep’s second district-partnership school, as part of a collaboration with Aldine ISD. The school partnership was dissolved in 2021.)
2014 - YES Prep is named a Gold Ribbon District by Texas’ Children at Risk organization.
2015 - YES Prep opens its fourteenth and fifteenth campuses, YES Northbrook High School and YES Prep Southside Secondary. YES Prep Northbrook High is the second district-partnership school with Spring Branch ISD. In 2015, YES Prep also achieves its long-standing goal of serving 10,000 Houston students.
2016 - YES Prep opens its sixteenth campus and second district-partnership school with Aldine ISD, YES Prep Eisenhower High School. (Note: The partnership with Aldine ISD ended in 2023.)
2017 - YES Prep opens its seventeenth campus, YES Prep Northline Secondary. In 2017, YES Prep also celebrates 20 years of Leading Houston Forward.
2018 - YES Prep opens its eighteenth campus, YES Prep Northwest Secondary. In 2018, YES Prep also opens Thrive, the first Disciplinary Alternative Educational Program run by a public charter system in Texas.
2019 - YES Prep opens its nineteenth campus, YES Prep Hobby Secondary.
2020s
2020 - YES Prep opens first two elementary schools, YES Prep Southeast Elementary and YES Prep North Central Elementary.
2021 - YES Prep opens elementary schools 3 and 4, YES Prep North Forest Elementary and YES Prep Southside Elementary.
2021 - YES Prep opens a new Home Office administrative office next to the YES Prep Southside campuses.
2022 - YES Prep opens elementary schools 5 and 6, YES Prep Airline Elementary and YES Prep East End Elementary.