What Downtown College Prep does

Downtown College Prep (DCP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charter school network headquartered in San Jose, California, operating under the Across the Bridge Foundation (ABF) governance umbrella. Founded in 2000 as the first charter school in Santa Clara County, DCP prepares first-generation, predominantly low-income students for college success across grades 5–12. As of the most recent reporting, DCP serves approximately 1,600 students through two active campuses — DCP El Primero High School (grades 9–12) and DCP El Camino Middle School (grades 5–8), both at 1402 Monterey Highway — following the June 10, 2024 closure of the Alum Rock High School and Alum Rock Middle School sites. The organization also maintains an Alumni Success Program supporting 500 college-aged alumni through coaching, mentoring, and scholarships. The student body is approximately 95%+ students of color, 70%+ qualifying for free/reduced lunch, 35%+ English learners, and 10%+ receiving special education services.

DCP's product surface is best characterized as a platform-plus-programs model. The core "platform" comprises A-G-aligned college preparatory curriculum, STEM coursework, English-learner support, and college advising that begins in middle school. Layered on top are several programs: a College Success Program with assigned counselors for every senior, a Dual College Enrollment partnership with San Jose City College and Evergreen Valley College, a College Scholarship Fund (437 scholarships totaling $2.5M since 2004), the David and Sheila Brown Memorial DACA Fund (established to defray immigration application costs), a Prop 28 Arts & Music program, and a COVID-19 testing program. Technology infrastructure is deliberately commodity: Google Workspace for Education, iCal/Office 365 calendar feeds, Zoom for board governance, and a SchoolNow-powered website — no proprietary systems and no AI/ML components.

Revenue mechanics are public-funding-dominated. As a California charter, DCP receives per-pupil LCFF funding from state and local sources based on enrollment (~$10,000–$18,000 per ADA, with supplemental grants for the high-need demographic). Private donations, corporate sponsorships (notably Synopsys for campus construction), and foundation grants add approximately $2M annually to offset costs of enhanced programming. Reported outcomes include a 56% six-year college completion/persistence rate versus a 14% national benchmark for low-income students and an 81% college graduation rate for DCP scholarship recipients.

Name

Downtown College Prep

Legal name

Across the Bridge Foundation

Website

https://dcp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Downtown College Prep is a nonprofit public charter school network in San Jose, California, preparing roughly 1,600 first-generation, low-income students in grades 5–12 for college success, supported by public per-pupil funding and ~$2M in annual private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Charter School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Charter school education
• College preparation
• First-generation students
• K-12 public schools
• Alumni college support

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: As a publicly funded charter school, DCP receives per-pupil funding from state and local sources based on enrollment.
2. Donations and Grants: DCP relies on individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants. The organization endeavors to raise $2M annually to offset costs of providing enhanced academic experiences.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Downtown College Prep operates a network of public charter schools in San Jose, California, serving approximately 1,600 students in grades 5-12 plus 500 college-aged alumni. Its core offering is tuition-free college preparatory education for first-generation students, combining A-G coursework, STEM classes, dual college enrollment with local community colleges, college advising starting in middle school, senior college counseling, and postsecondary alumni coaching. The organization supplements public per-pupil funding with scholarships and grants to deliver enhanced academic and college-access programming.

Product overview

Downtown College Prep (DCP) is a charter school network in San Jose, California, operating as a unified educational institution with multiple school sites. The organization operates on a platform-plus-programs model, with DCP El Primero High School (grades 9-12) and DCP El Camino Middle School (grades 5-8) as active core school sites, while DCP Alum Rock Middle School and DCP Alum Rock High School have closed as of June 2024. Supporting the school network are integrated programs including the College Success Program (providing college advising and counseling), Alumni Success Program (supporting graduates through college), and DCP College Scholarship Fund. Additional support services include the David and Sheila Brown Memorial DACA Fund for immigration support, Dual College Enrollment with local community colleges, and COVID-19 Testing Program. The schools offer A-G course requirements, STEM classes, special education services, and English learner support. DCP is governed by the Across the Bridge Foundation (ABF) Board of Directors and supported by the Downtown College Prep Foundation (DCPF).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DCP El Primero High School Public charter high school serving grades 9-12, located at 1402 Monterey Hwy., San Jose 95110. Part of the Downtown College Prep network focused on preparing first-generation students for college success. Phone: 408-271-1730.
• DCP El Camino Middle School Public charter middle school serving grades 5-8, co-located with DCP El Primero High School at 1402 Monterey Hwy., San Jose 95110. Provides STEM classes, literacy/math performance improvement, and English learner support as part of the college-prep pathway. Phone: 408-384-4040.
• DCP Alum Rock Middle School Public charter middle school that served grades 6-8 at 2888 Ocala Ave., San Jose 95148. Closed as of June 10, 2024, with records transferred to Santa Clara County Office of Education.
• DCP Alum Rock High School Public charter high school that closed as of June 10, 2024, with student records transferred to San Jose Unified School District.
• College Success Program Comprehensive college preparation including College Advising through Advisory class starting in middle school, College Counseling with assigned counselors for every senior, and support for completing college and financial aid applications on campus.
• Alumni Success Program Support for DCP graduates through college with dedicated alumni mentors who are DCP alumni themselves, providing coaching, mentoring, and scholarship assistance to 500 alumni in college.
• DCP College Scholarship Fund Scholarship program that has granted over 437 scholarships totaling $2.5M since 2004. Provides over 100 scholarships annually to graduating seniors and alumni. Scholarship recipients graduate from college at an 81% rate.
• David and Sheila Brown Memorial DACA Fund Financial support fund that helps DCP students, alumni, and staff complete DACA applications and renewals. Named after longtime DCP supporters and board members David and Sheila Brown.
• Dual College Enrollment Program allowing high school students to take college courses with San Jose City College and Evergreen Valley College as part of their high school curriculum, earning college credit while in high school.

Quantifiable outcome

• 56% six-year college completion rate vs 14% nationally for low-income students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Inspire DiagnosticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020DCP partnered with Inspire Diagnostics to provide convenient COVID-19 testing at all campuses. Testing was provided to students and staff with no out-of-pocket costs, supporting the organization's safe return to in-person instruction.
• Sacred Heart Community Service and Second Harvest Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCP partnered with Sacred Heart Community Service and Second Harvest Food Bank to bring a weekly food pantry to DCP campus. ALL DCP families and alumni are welcome to receive food boxes every Friday between 9am-12pm.
• Santa Clara County Public Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCP worked with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department to implement COVID-19 safety protocols, testing frameworks, and vaccination guidance for school communities.
• San Jose City College and Evergreen Valley CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCP has a dual college enrollment program where high school students take college courses with San Jose City College and Evergreen Valley College, earning college credit while in high school.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Green Dot Public Schools: Los Angeles-anchored charter network with explicit college-prep mission and turnaround-school focus; serves similar first-generation, high-need demographics to DCP.
• BASIS Charter Schools: College-prep charter network with a STEM-heavy, advanced-academics focus; shares DCP's charter-college-prep orientation but serves a different demographic mix.
• Alliance College-Ready Public Schools: Nonprofit charter network in California explicitly named for college readiness, serving grades 6-12 with similar first-generation and low-income student demographics.
• Summit Public Schools: Bay Area-based charter network serving grades 6-12 with a project-based, college-prep curriculum and similar first-generation student focus; comparable in geography and mission to DCP.
• KIPP Public Schools: National nonprofit charter network focused on college preparation for students from underserved communities; operates a K-12 through college-support model highly analogous to DCP's alumni coaching and scholarship programs.
• IDEA Public Schools: Large nonprofit charter network operating TK-12 college-prep schools with a strong college persistence program; operates in Texas and a small number of other states but most comparable to DCP in mission and outcomes-orientation.
• Rocketship Public Schools: California-based nonprofit charter network serving TK-5 (with some grade spans higher) in low-income communities, with a similar college-prep-through-support-services model.
• Achievement First: East Coast charter network with a college-prep mission for students in low-income communities; comparable K-12 model and college persistence focus, though regional rather than California-based.
• Aspire Public Schools: California-based nonprofit charter network operating TK-12 college-prep schools in low-income communities, with a college completion program analogous to DCP's alumni success initiative.
• Uncommon Schools: Multi-state charter network with a college-prep mission for students in urban, high-need communities; runs college persistence support comparable to DCP's alumni program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DCP_IAmTheFirst
• Facebookfacebook.com/DowntownCollegePrep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/downtown-college-prep
• Instagraminstagram.com/downtowncollegeprep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Downtown College Prep