YES Prep Brays Oaks, White Oak Elementaries opening Aug. 2025 in high-need neighborhoods
YES Prep Public Schools — one of the fastest growing and highest performing public charter school systems in the U.S. — will break ground on two new elementary schools set to open in August 2025, giving Southwest and Northwest Houston families more options for high-quality, free public education.
YES Prep Brays Oaks Elementary and YES Prep White Oak Elementary will welcome students in pre-kindergarten through second grade, adding grade levels each year to include third, fourth and fifth grades.
WHO: YES Prep leadership, families, community partners and elected officials
WHEN & WHERE:
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MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2024 9 a.m. YES Prep Brays Oaks Elementary 9060 Benning Rd., Houston, TX 77031 |
TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2024 9 a.m. YES Prep White Oak Elementary 6343 Deihl Rd., Houston, TX 77092 |
WHY: YES Prep believes the sooner students start getting a high-quality education, the stronger their path to college will be. The district is rapidly expanding and now serves 20,000 students as young as pre-K, opening multiple new elementary schools a year to help close opportunity gaps for Houston children.
According to the Child Opportunity Index 3.0, which measures social and environmental factors such as school quality, parent employment levels and more, Houston has one of the widest child opportunity gaps in the country and is among the worst three metros in the nation for “opportunity hoarding,” meaning children in some neighborhoods are less likely to graduate high school than their peers living just a couple miles away.
All YES Prep schools are in "very low" opportunity areas, per the Child Opportunity Index. The new YES Prep Brays Oaks Elementary will be in an area with 0% pre-K enrollment and a “very low” high school graduation rate. YES Prep White Oak Elementary is being constructed in a neighborhood where public pre-K enrollment is below average and critical elementary reading/math scores are lagging. Both schools, located in predominately Hispanic neighborhoods, aim to close gaps by providing access to high-quality, free, bilingual public education.
About YES Prep elementary programming
YES Prep’s elementary schools offer an engaging curriculum with a focus on reading, writing and STEM, special education programs and high-performing bilingual education, plus elementary students receive automatic enrollment in YES Prep secondary schools.
Area families already are submitting enrollment interest forms for the two new schools. The 2025-2026 new student lottery opens this fall.
Seats are still available for the 2024-2025 school year, which begins next month. Families interested in enrolling students in grades PK-12 can visit www.yesprep.org/sayYES.
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About YES Prep Public Schools
Celebrating more than 25 years of impact, with 24 campuses serving 20,000 students, YES Prep Public Schools leads Houston forward by redefining what is possible in public education when children have access to excellent schools from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report, YES Prep is open to and tuition-free for all children. In addition to rigorous education and enrichment programs, YES Prep schools provide meals, devices, transportation, special education, English language learning, and access to healthcare, mental health and other student support services.