Christ the King: A Model for Student Success
A TNB partner school profile
Christ the King Jesuit College Prep (CTK) is a Catholic, Jesuit, independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school serving students from families on Chicago's West Side who would otherwise lack access to a quality private secondary education. CTK opened in 2008 and is the 20th high school in the Cristo Rey Network, which runs 41 schools nationwide.
Sponsored by the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), CTK offers students a strong academic and spiritual foundation, integrated with a Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) in a safe, disciplined, faith-based, and caring environment. CTK’s mission is to challenge and inspire its young women and men by integrating academics, work experience, and extracurricular activities so they can lead lives of integrity, faith, and servant leadership.
There is an urgent need for quality education in a safe environment for students from underserved communities on Chicago's West Side. The faculty and staff focus on providing each student with the education, resources, support, and hope needed to overcome challenges. As their students and alumni succeed in education, work, and life, they find the power to uplift their community and change the trajectory of their lives.
For the 15th year, 100% of CTK’s 2026 graduating seniors have been accepted to college.
Student Profile
Christ the King began its 17th school year with 425 students enrolled: 89% African American, 5% Latino, and 6% multi-racial or other. All students receive free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Program. On average, students come from families of four, earning under $37,000 a year, among the lowest per capita incomes in the Cristo Rey Network. More than half of enrolled students come from three zip code areas that encompass Austin, West Humboldt Park, West Garfield Park, and North Lawndale.
For the 15th year, 100% of CTK’s 2026 graduating seniors have been accepted to college, with over 86% enrolling each year, and they graduate from college at more than twice the rate of their socioeconomic peers. Those who don’t attend college typically pursue careers in the military or the trades.
Curriculum
With 84 faculty and staff, Christ the King maintains a student-faculty ratio of about 17:1. It offers a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum that challenges and motivates students to master cognitive skills in the core subjects of math, science, English, history, and foreign languages. CTK uses a proven educational model rooted in centuries of the Jesuit tradition to improve West Side students’ academic performance, college enrollment rates, and college graduation rates.
Before being assigned to one of 80+ companies or nonprofits in the work-study program, students complete career-readiness training, coursework, and related experiences. Through a robust counseling program, the school provides resources to meet students’ social and emotional needs with the goal of inspiring them to embody the Jesuit ideal to be men and women for and with others. Students give back by completing required community service at West Side churches or nonprofits. They are redefining the narrative about students coming from Chicago's West Side by overcoming sometimes steep odds.
The school also offers physical education, art, music, and a wide range of extracurricular activities. In addition to a solid academic foundation, students work alongside role models, who enable them to see what they might become as they encounter professionals through corporate partnerships.
Enhanced counseling helps students manage trauma, stress, and anxiety, building resilience and improving long-term positive outcomes.
Student Support
Robust counseling services are critical to CTK’s 100% college acceptance track record. Increased support enables earlier interventions and more personalized guidance, particularly for first-generation college students, helping them navigate the complex application, financial aid, and career-planning processes.
Addressing students’ mental health and emotional well-being is essential for academic success. Enhanced counseling helps students manage trauma, stress, and anxiety, building resilience and improving long-term positive outcomes. These priorities position Christ the King to better serve its students, close opportunity gaps, and maximize its transformative impact on the West Side community.
Corporate Work Study Program
The innovative Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) leverages local business resources by employing one or more CTK students four days a month. Each student works one full day per week and attends classes on the remaining four days. The school manages student schedules to ensure they do not miss academic classes.
CWSP helps make a quality, private college prep education available to students from low-income families. Students earn a portion of the cost of their education by working and developing strong relationships with their supervisors. CTK also conducts extensive fundraising to provide scholarship support.
The corporate workplace culture is currently changing. Many companies offer employees a hybrid work model and, in some cases, the flexibility to work remotely 100% of the time. This has created challenges for the work-study program. Even if a company wants to participate, it may not have enough staff in the office each day to supervise student workers. A multi-year effort to restructure and rebuild CWSP is underway, adapting to this new reality. With work-study funds decreasing, CTK now must rely more on contributions from individuals, companies, and foundations.
Future Success
For many families, the decision to attend Christ the King hinges on three realities: the mission of a Jesuit Catholic school, the college-prep academic focus, and the valuable opportunities available to students through CWSP. Across all three areas, the focus is on students’ holistic formation — as people, scholars, and future professionals.
This distinctive approach provides a strong foundation for the ongoing success of Christ the King students.