Student Life
The Path to College
Pre-K/K Core Enrichment Offerings - All elementary campuses will have the following offerings when fully grown out grades Pre-K - 5
- Library
- Art
- Physical Education
- Music
- STEM Lab
- Pre-K/K students all daily recess
College Acceptance Rituals – Our secondary campuses have unique rituals for celebrating each college acceptance letter our students receive. On our Southwest campus, for example, at a certain time each day seniors can come bang the Maverick Gong, which can be heard throughout campus. A student from each class then runs over to learn which college they were accepted to and returns to announce it to their class. Rituals like this one allow our students to celebrate each other and enable our youngest students to see how close and real their college dreams are.
College Initiatives – Because of our mission to empower all Houston students to succeed in college and to pursue lives of opportunity, all secondary students receive specific programming geared towards developing a college-going identity.
Class Trips – Students have the opportunity to participate in class trips to visit colleges throughout Texas and across the nation. By their senior year, students have typically visited over 20 college campuses. So that money is not a barrier for any of our students to participate in class trips, financial resources are available.
Individualized College Counseling – Since over 90% of our students will be first-generation college students, YES Prep provides individualized college counseling to guide each student and their family through the process of choosing schools that are a good match for them, applying to those schools, and planning for how to make their college path sustainable and affordable. Students also participate in seminar classes throughout high school to help prepare them for college. Click here to learn more.
Senior Signing Day, one of our favorite traditions, is an event where all of our graduating seniors stand up in front of their families, fellow students, and a crowd of over 10,000 to declare which college they’ll be attending. This event was inspired by the signing days typically held only for athletes and we felt like our students’ college plans deserved that kind of celebration!
Student Opportunities
Athletics – All of our secondary campuses have sports teams that compete in the Houston Charter Athletic League (HCAL). Offerings include basketball, cross country, track & field, volleyball, cheerleading, flag football, and soccer. We have also added e-sports too! Click here to learn more about our athletic offerings.
ACE Program & Clubs – The ACE provides program opportunities at the secondary level that focus on: Academics, Enrichment, College and Workforce Readiness and Family Engagement. Click here to learn more about what ACE has to offer.
District-wide Student Affinity Summits – To connect students from across the city, we hold regular affinity summits to bring groups of students together to learn from each other and community members. For example, we held a Latinx Leadership Conference, Sisterhood and Brotherhood Summits for our African-American students, a Pride Summit, and an Asian and Pacific Islander American Summit.
Summer Opportunities – Internships, camps, and other summer programs are important ways for our students to gain the experiences that help make them college-ready. All of our campuses support our students to apply for Duke TIP in 7th grade, and then participate in summer experiences like Outward Bound, go on a service trip to another country, or serve in an internship during high school.