About Blackstone Valley Prep
Our Mission
To prepare every scholar to achieve their goals for college and the world beyond.
Our Vision Statement
Blackstone Valley Prep will model the world we hope our graduates will help to build outside our walls by working to become a community where every child has access to a boundless future. We will do this by:
Who We Are
Blackstone Valley Prep (BVP) is a network of tuition-free public schools chartered by the Rhode Island Department of Education. A member of the Charter School Growth Fund portfolio, BVP offers a high-quality public school choice to the families of Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, and Pawtucket and currently serves 2,300 scholars, ages 5-22, across six schools: three elementary schools, an upper elementary school (grades 5-6), a junior high school (grades 7-8), and high school. BVP opened its Advancement Academy in fall 2022. BVP public charter schools are free, public, and open to all.
Over the years, we have received thousands of applications for our limited number of seats. For the 2023-2024 school year, we received 1,846 applications for an estimated 277 seats.
Manifesting Our Mission
At Blackstone Valley Prep, we envision a world where every child has access to a boundless future. We believe in the transformative potential of a college education, both for individuals and for the communities they are a part of, and provide all scholars with a rigorous, college-preparatory education. One visit to our schools and you’ll notice the intentional elements we’ve incorporated into our environment: our students are referred to as “scholars” and identify with the year they will graduate from a four-year college, rather than by grade level. Our homerooms are named after teachers’ alma maters, including URI, Brown University, Providence College, and other schools nationwide
BVP also supports young people choosing their own paths and prepares them for whatever passions they decide to pursue. Scholars leave BVP with the tools and skills they need to successfully pursue their goals for college, the workforce, and the world beyond our doors.
Diverse by Design
At Blackstone Valley Prep, we believe that preparing scholars for the world beyond means, in part, experiencing the diversity of the world in which we live today. Scholars from four neighboring communities—Central Falls, Cumberland, Lincoln, and Pawtucket—have the unique opportunity to come together in classrooms and experience cultural diversity at a young age. Our intentionally diverse model allows scholars to connect across both racial and socioeconomic lines of difference, and prepares them to mindfully and confidently engage with others in our dynamic world.
At BVP, we believe Black Lives Matter and we celebrate Pride. There are many kinds of diversity at BVP, and we honor that diversity in each other and learn from it in all the forms it takes.
By learning in a community filled with a wide range of racial, ethnic, linguistic, socioeconomic, ability, religious, gender, and sexual-orientation differences, our scholars:
- Build empathy
- Gain awareness of and pride in their own identities
- Learn about the real world, including power dynamics and injustices, in a structured and safe space
- Develop skills for interacting with people different from themselves
- Grow into open-minded and adaptable thinkers through learning from different perspectives
Our Diversity Statement
Blackstone Valley Prep is committed to the academic success, social and emotional growth, and health and wellness of 100% of scholars in an intentionally diverse school that celebrates the racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, linguistic, ability, religious, gender, and sexual-orientation differences of our scholars, staff, and families by actively engaging in courageous conversations about the value of people’s differences; raising awareness of self and society’s structural inequities; and empowering all people to engage in an open and honest dialogue with an active voice.
2022 Scholar Race/Ethnicity
Serving All Children
At BVP, we believe in serving all children, including those requiring specialized services such as English Language Learners (ELLs), those who need Special Education Programming, and children needing social and emotional support. For example, our Transitional Learning Centers work with scholars who need extra social, emotional, learning, and behavioral support.
In small classroom environments, teachers guide them on how to identify their feelings, utilize coping strategies, recognize the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, and how to self-regulate.
Teaching these strategies allows scholars to be successful when engaging in general classroom settings and allows them to thrive academically while also giving special attention to their social, emotional, and behavioral needs.
Our Demographics
15%
of BVP scholars are classified as Multilingual Learners (MLLs).
17%
of BVP scholars qualify for special education and/or related services.
73%
of BVP scholars qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
What Makes BVP Different?
A BVP scholar, his family, and our staff went in front of the camera to tell our story in a new way. While data and descriptions of our practices and model are important to share, we believe that the most impactful way we can share who we are is by telling a story.
Our Story
date
BVP is home to 2,300 scholars and over 350 teachers, leaders, and staff across 6 schools.
date
Middle School 1 and Middle School 2 become Upper Elementary School (5-6) and Junior High School (7-8).
date
BVP graduates its first class of college-bound scholars.
date
BVP scholars score 108 points above the state average on the SAT.
A permanent location for BVP High School is built.
date
Middle School 2 is founded.
The Rhode Island Department of Education named BVP High School and Elementary School 2 as Commended in February 2016 and Middle School 1 in October 2016.
date
Elementary School 3 is founded.
date
Our 8th grade scholars scored 37 percentage points higher than the state average in mathematics on the NECAP assessment.
BVP High School is founded.
A permanent location for Elementary School 2 is built.
Low-income scholars attending BVP outperform non low-income students attending traditional public schools in Rhode Island on the PARCC assessment.
date
Elementary School 1 is named a Commended School by the Rhode Island Department of Education.
BVP receives a 5 year charter renewal from the Rhode Island Department of Education.
date
Elementary School 2 is founded.
date
Middle School 1 is founded.
date
BVP Elementary School 1 launches with 9 teachers, 2 fulltime staff, and 76 kindergarteners.
date
RI passes mayoral academy legislation, allowing for greater accountability and autonomy, including more opportunities for professional development.
We’ve Got PRIDE
Our school culture is founded on a core set of principles we call our PRIDE Values. We believe that by encouraging our scholars and staff to embody these values in their work and day-to-day lives, we are encouraging and supporting a firm foundation on which to build a successful career.
Our Values
- P Perseverance: We try our best even when it is hard.
- R Respect: We take care of people and places, and appreciate each other’s differences.
- I Integrity: We do the right thing even when no one is looking.
- D Discipline: We expect the best from ourselves.
- E Enthusiasm: We find and share joy.
- +1 Love: We love and celebrate each other for our whole selves.
