City Heights Prep

serving refugee & immigrant students in San Diego

San Diego leads the US in refugee resettlement, with more than 3,000 refugees landing in San Diego County in 2016, and more than 85,000 since 1975—many of them settling in the City Heights area of San Diego.

Overcoming significant challenges to secure a quality education for their kids is the single most important thing displaced families can do to break cycles of poverty and establish a new life in the US. City Heights Prep provides refugee and immigrant students an excellent education, equipping them to succeed in college and grow into positive community leaders for San Diego and beyond.

Many students arrive at City Heights Prep speaking no English, with some having never sat in a classroom. Past and present trauma mean complex mental health needs abound. More than 25 languages are spoken among its 160 students, and 100% of the kids come from low-income households.

And yet, City Heights Prep students consistently demonstrate above average growth in both reading and math, with test scores improving each year for students remaining at the school. Last year, the San Diego Unified School District renewed the school’s charter for five more years, based in large part on students’ academic gains. The team at City Heights Prep is literally changing the world for good, one kid at a time.

Come to SD20TWENTY on Oct 21 to celebrate and support the amazing work City Heights Prep is doing in our city!