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 and 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. YES Prep Hoffman is YES Prep’s second district-partnership school, as part of a collaboration with Aldine ISD. 

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. 

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 (the twentieth and twenty-first campuses).

2021 - YES Prep opens elementary schools 3 and 4, YES Prep North Forest Elementary and YES Prep Southside Elementary (the twenty-second and twenty-third campuses). 

2021 - YES Prep opens a new Home Office administrative office next to the YES Prep Southside campuses.