StuyPrep

StuyPrep is an alumni initiative founded by Kent Kim ’05 and Christina Alfonso ’01 that seeks to empower historically underprivileged middle school students with increased access to educational opportunities, tutoring, and awareness of the specialized high school network. Students are typically recommended for the program by their school counselors, but it is not required, and voluntarily opt-in to the StuyPrep program, which is fully underwritten by the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association.

If you are a student in need, or know of a student that could benefit from our program, please send us an application here.

We envision Stuyvesant High School as the #1 choice for all NYC students seeking an incomparable educational experience in STEM, the Arts and Humanities, and more.

As we know, going to schools like Stuyvesant can provide students with confidence, a stellar education, and future leadership opportunities. Unfortunately, low participation rates in the SHSAT Entrance Exam are a direct factor in the underrepresentation of Black and Latinx students in the specialized high schools, with only one out of five students from these communities taking the test. StuyPrep provides tutoring and preparation for the SHSAT exclusively to students who otherwise could not afford the cost of tutoring. The program, which is entirely free to participating students, aims to widen the funnel of bright, diverse students to the City’s specialized high schools.

On pre-pandemic Saturday mornings, students were bused to Stuyvesant High School and received instruction in how to prepare for the SHSAT. Today, our program is conducted primarily over Zoom, and coupled with opportunities for in-person meet and greets at the School and at our program partner locations. We have worked with the Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Kweller Prep to provide a more formal SHSAT class, and also paired each student with a “coach.” All of the coaches were either current Stuyvesant students or alumni.

In addition to the weekly meetings, students and their parents/guardians can connect with our StuyPrep volunteers and tutors, composed of Stuyvesant alumni, about their individual experiences at Stuyvesant and personal perspective on why Stuyvesant can make a difference in their lives. Students also regularly take practice exams to become more accustomed to the testing experience and visit the building to gain insight into our many offerings.

StuyPrep combines elements of traditional test prep, mentoring, and outreach. From its start in 2016, we have served over 400 middle school students.

Please consider supporting StuyPrep today!

For the 2022 program StuyPrep is serving 7th- and 8th-graders from across NYC by welcoming 25 students to participate in free SHSAT prep, which started in May 2022 and culminates in October. We strongly believe that by increasing awareness, and access to education and other preparatory skills, that together we will empower historically underserved middle school children and increase diversity at the specialized high schools.

We want Stuyvesant, and more broadly the specialized high schools, to be a more accessible and attractive alternative for historically marginalized communities. We are also looking at ways to support our current Black, Indigenous, and Latinx students of color with more positive and engaging initiatives in partnership with the Stuyvesant faculty and administration.