San Jose's pioneering charter school, Downtown College Preparatory (DCP), announced earlier this year that it would close its doors after 25 years of operation. The decision to shutter the school, along with its Alum Rock Middle School, El Camino Middle School, and El Primero High School, will leave approximately 950 students searching for new educational homes and 99 employees facing layoffs. According to notices filed with the California Employment Development Department, the closure will take effect on June 30, reported the SF Chronicle.
Founded in 2000, DCP aimed to provide low-income students of color with a pathway to college. Enrollment declines, amplified after the COVID-19 pandemic, have plagued the Bay Area. The DCP board cited "a precarious financial position" due to these declines as the impetus for the school network's closure, per the SF Chronicle.
Despite the closures, DCP's track record for college access remained a point of pride. The organization reports that 56% of its alumni have graduated or are on track to graduate from college within six years, a rate four times the national average for comparable student populations. In the face of shutting down, the leadership at DCP is dedicated to helping students navigate the transition. "DCP's legacy will forever remain," said the DCP board as mentioned in their public letter, cited by the SF Chronicle.
The financial challenges confronted by DCP also affected the staff, who now face an uncertain future. Sal Williams, an English teacher at El Primero High School and president of the school’s teachers' union, expressed his concern in an interview with KTVU, saying, "They took out a bond that, unfortunately, the bills caught up with them, and they're having to close the entire organization."
