Cristo Rey New York High School

Cristo Rey New York High School is a college preparatory, Catholic high school located in East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, and a member of the Cristo Rey Network of schools. The school follows a unique Corporate Work Study Model, which allows students to spend one day per week interning with multinational corporations such as McKinsey, Pfizer, American Express, and JPMorgan Chase. Since its opening in 2004, Cristo Rey New York has produced 943 alumni.
History.
Cristo Rey New York High School was established in 2004 as a collaborative effort between the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, the De La Salle Christian Brothers, and the Jesuits. It functions in a low-income area of Manhattan to serve families who cannot afford private school tuition, serving students from under-served elementary and middle schools who may be behind on standardized tests. The co-founders of the school were Fr. Joseph Parkes, a member of the Society of Jesus and President of the school until 2018, and Bill Ford, the Principal of the school until 2019 and nephew of martyr Ita Ford. For his 13 years of involvement with the school, Fr. Parkes received the Catholic Extension Society Spirit of Francis Award in 2017.
Cristo Rey New York is the fifth member of the Cristo Rey Network of high schools, the original being Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. Presently, there are 37 Cristo Rey schools in the United States, all of which exclusively serve students from low-income families. Other Cristo Rey Schools in the New York Metropolitan area are Cristo Rey Brooklyn and Cristo Rey Newark.
The school's building at 112 East 106th St. is part of St. Cecilia's Church and Convent, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
General Information.
Tuition and financials.
Cristo Rey New York High School boasts the lowest tuition for a private school in Manhattan at $2,000 per year. The actual operating costs for Cristo Rey education total more than $17,000 per student. After financial aid, the average amount paid per student is $1,185, which covers around 10% of their education. About 40% of these operating costs are funded by income earned by students through Corporate Work Study Program jobs, while grants and private donations cover the final 50% of costs.
Demographics.
Cristo Rey New York currently serves a 377-person student body that is 75% Hispanic, 20% African American, and 5% other ethnicities. Most of these students have attended underserved elementary and middle schools, and their academic performance entering high school is predominantly below grade level. The average family income of students is $31,015.
Curriculum and academics.
The school has three main components to its curriculum: college readiness, college access, and college success. A major focus of Cristo Rey New York is raising standardized test scores and preparing students for a rigorous college education. Cristo Rey New York also ensures that all students have access to college by providing assistance throughout the entire college application process and ensuring that students obtain sufficient financial aid. Cristo Rey New York currently has a 14:1 student to faculty ratio.
Alumni success.
Cristo Rey New York High School has produced tremendous results in its 15-year history. Its 98% college enrollment rate is double the national average for low-income students, and its 83% college graduation rate is more than five times the national average for students of the same peer group. Virtually all Cristo Rey New York graduates will become first-generation college students. Cristo Rey New York's 943 alumni attend prestigious colleges and universities including Georgetown, Columbia, Princeton, Brown, Boston College, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Cornell, NYU, Northwestern, Pomona, Bates, Amherst, University of Virginia, Howard, Colgate, Tufts, Williams and Hamilton. Many alumni go on to pursue advanced degrees in law, medicine, and various Ph.D. programs, and others work at organizations such as Barclays, Booz Allen Hamilton, Voya Financial, and Thomson Reuters.
Corporate Work Study Program.
The Corporate Work Study Program is a distinguishing component of all Cristo Rey schools. Students work one day per week in entry-level positions at an assigned company. The goal is for students to acquire job experience and marketable skills, develop a network of business contacts, gain exposure to a wide variety of career opportunities, and improve in their work ethic and self-esteem. Work is considered part of the curriculum; if a student is dismissed from their job, they are considered to have failed that course.
According to Father Joseph Parkes, former president of the school, Cristo Rey High School was "founded around a work-study program, so that, in effect, the school would function like a temp agency." The students, who are 98% black and Latino, serve as a "diversity pipeline" for the corporations, while the students' salaries constitute much of the school's operating costs. The students gain "a good deal of poise," in addition to clerical skills. Some are offered summer jobs, for which they can earn extra compensation. Each student earns about $6,500 per year through their Corporate Work Study Program job, which goes directly towards their education costs.
Currently, students of Cristo Rey New York work at more than 140 corporate partners throughout the New York metropolitan area. These partners include: 
Extracurricular activities and other programs.
Cristo Rey New York has a full-time volunteer program that employs eight college-graduate volunteers who make a two-year commitment to the school. These volunteers help the school in various ways through assistant teaching, fundraising, moderating extra-curricular activities, coaching, and training and chaperoning students for the Corporate Work Study Program. Volunteers live together in apartments provided by the school and are remunerated for ordinary expenses.
Clubs sponsored by the school include: Art Club, Black History Month committee, Choir, Dance Team, Drama Club, Lions Unite in a Pride (formally GSA), Minds Over Matter (STEM Club), MIMA (Modern Improvisational Music Appreciation Group), Student Council, Urban Exploration Club, Yearbook Club, and the student leadership programs Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Peer Mentors.
Sports sponsored by the school include: cross-country (boys and girls), soccer (boys and girls), volleyball (girls), basketball (boys and girls), softball (girls), and baseball (boys).