Pritzker College Prep is a public four-year charter high school located in the Hermosa neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. It is a part of the Noble Network of Charter Schools. It opened its doors in 2006 and serves over 986 students[1] in grades nine through twelve, as of the 2017-2018 school year.[2]

Pritzker College Prep
Address
Map
4131 W. Cortland Street

,
60639

United States
Information
School typePublic Secondary Charter
MottoIt all starts at Pritzker
Opened2006
PrincipalCarrie Spitz
Grades912
GenderCoed
Enrollment986 (2017-18)
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)  orange
  blue
WebsitePritzker College Prep

Background

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History

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Pritzker College Prep was founded in 2006 as one of the first expansion campuses of the Noble Network of Charter Schools.[3] It is named in honor of donors Penny Pritzker and Bryan Traubert.

Location

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Pritzker is located in the Hermosa neighborhood of Chicago in a building leased from the Archdiocese of Chicago. Before Pritzker opened, the building served as St. Philomena Elementary School.[4]

Partnerships

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Since 2008, Pritzker has partnered with Phillips Exeter Academy for teacher training and collaboration around the Harkness method of instruction.[5]

Each summer since 2012, rising seniors from the school attend the Pushkin Summer Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for intensive Russian language studies.[6] Since 2015, Pushkin participants have also been eligible to travel to Eastern Europe after graduation through a partner grant between PSI and the National Security Language Initiative for Youth.[7]

Through Noble's partnership with the Right Angle Foundation and the Summer of a Lifetime program, top sophomores are invited to attend college summer programs around the country with most of their expenses covered.[8]

Academics

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Pritzker College Prep is rated a 6 out of 10 by GreatSchools.org, a national school quality information site. [9] GreatSchools’ Summary Rating is based on four of the school’s themed ratings: the Test Score Rating, Student or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, and Equity Rating and flags for discipline and attendance disparities at a school.

Course Offerings

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IB and AP Courses

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In June 2015 Pritzker became certified as an International Baccalaureate school.[10] As of the 2018-2019 school year, the school also offers AP courses.

Band Program

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Pritzker's Jazz band performs annually at the Berklee College of Music,[11] and has performed at Lake Forest College[12] and the Chicago Jazz Festival,[13] among other venues. In 2010, the program received new instruments thanks to a grant from Fidelity.[14] Band teacher Ben Das was also named a TNTP Fishman Prize finalist in 2015.[15]

Journalism Program

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The Journalism program, which produces The Pritzker Press online and in print, was established in 2014. Writers from the program compete annually through both the Scholastic Press Association of Chicago High School Media Awards and Conference and the Illinois Journalism Education Association's Newspaper & Digital News Media Competition. The Pritzker Press placed 3rd[16] and 2nd overall in 2017 and 2018, respectively, in its division in the IJEA competition.

Extracurriculars

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Athletics

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As of the 2018-2019 school year, the school has competitive teams for 15 sports:[17] Football, boys’ soccer (varsity and JV), girls’ soccer (varsity and JC), boys’ rugby, girls’ rugby,[18] girls’ volleyball, cross country (co-ed), boys’ basketball (varsity and JV), girls’ basketball (varsity and JV), cheerleading (co-ed), wrestling (co-ed), baseball, softball, track and field, and ultimate frisbee (co-ed).[19]

Noble League (formerly Noble Athletic Conference) championships:[17][20]

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  • Football: 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015
  • Cheer: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Girls’ Soccer: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Boys’ Soccer: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014
  • Baseball: 2009, 2015

IHSA Regional championships:[21]

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  • Girls’ Soccer: 2014, 2015, 2017
  • Softball: 2014

State championships:[22]

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  • Boys’ Rugby: 2013 (IYRA TIER 3)
  • Ultimate Frisbee: 2015 (IYU B-DIVISION)

Clubs

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As of the 2018-2019 school year, the school offers over 20 competitive and non-competitive clubs.

References

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  1. ^ "CPS : School Data". cps.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  2. ^ Pritzker College Prep School History and Campus Overview
  3. ^ "School History | Pritzker College Prep | Noble Network of Charter Schools". nobleschools.org. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  4. ^ "Saint Philomena School, Chicago, early 20th century". Explore Chicago Collections. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  5. ^ "A Noble Cause". Phillips Exeter Academy. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  6. ^ "Summer snapshots: Reaching out with Russian | College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison". ls.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  7. ^ "Russian-language summer program for under-served youth receives $230,000". International Division. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  8. ^ "Summer of a Lifetime | Welcome". summerofalifetime.noblenetwork.org. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  9. ^ "Best High Schools in Chicago, IL | GreatSchools". GreatSchools.org. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  10. ^ "Pritzker College Prep". International Baccalaureate®. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  11. ^ "Jazz Band thrives with joy after Boston trip | Total Visits 359 | Pritzker Press". Pritzker Press. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  12. ^ "College's Concert Band invites high school program to perform in side-by-side concert". lakeforest.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  13. ^ "Previous Chicago Jazz Festivals". jazzinchicago.org. 2012. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  14. ^ REPORTERS, Alejandra Cancino and John von Rhein, TRIBUNE. "'Now our band is complete'". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Benjamin Das". tntp.org. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  16. ^ "2017 IJEA Newspaper & Digital News Media Contest Winners" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  17. ^ a b "Pritzker Athletics Website Tabs" (PDF).
  18. ^ Keilman, John. "High school girls rugby a hit at Noble charter schools". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  19. ^ "Pritzker College Prep Jaguar Ultimate". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  20. ^ "Noble League" (PDF). nobleleague.com. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
  21. ^ "Noble League" (PDF). nobleleague.com. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
  22. ^ "Noble League" (PDF). nobleleague.com. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
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41°54′53.3″N 87°43′46.6″W / 41.914806°N 87.729611°W / 41.914806; -87.729611