Cristo Rey San Jose High School is Replacing Five Wounds

Cristo Rey operates 25 Catholic schools across 17 states with a special focus on underprivileged families--those making less thank $35k a year in urban communities  They have decided to open a Jesuit college prep high school in the former Five Wounds School building in East(ish) San Jose. Personal note, I actually went to Five Woulds from Kindergarten to 8th Grade.

What is really interesting to me about this school is that all Cristo Rey students also have to participate in a corporate work study program that provides students with real-work experience while funding most of the cost of their education. Education only goes so far, nothing beats actually going out into the real world and learning what it is like to work at banks, hospitals, law firms etc. Every month the students will spend five full days at work, and it will put them at a huge advantage over other students when going to college. All high schools should be structured this way. Speaking of college, 88% of Cristo Rey graduates enroll, which is double the rate of their peers coming from the same socioeconomic background.

Two people to thank for helping get the school off the ground are John A. Sobrato and B.J. Cassin, who donated money and sit on the Cristo Rey San Jose High School Board. Thanks guys, this is a really great cause and it will make a huge impact not only to the families of these children but to Silicon Valley as a whole when these students enter the workforce highly-educated and with real-life work experience.

The school is officially opening in 2014 and is expecting to take in a total of 500 students by 2017.

Source: SJBJ