This week classes start at 22 US high schools that are part of the Cristo Rey network, an innovative and highly successful model for urban education. Cristo Rey schools serve the urban poor. 99 percent of their graduates go to college. The schools are partly financed through their students’ paid internships at local businesses. Many of them are Jesuit high schools, and the original Cristo Rey school was developed under Jesuit sponsorship and direction in Chicago.
The newest is Cristo Rey Jesuit College Prep in Houston. Its president has written a succinct description of the Cristo Rey model in the Houston Chronicle. The book More than a Dream gives more detail about the Cristo Rey story. For an overview, watch this segment on 60 Minutes.
