Mission

Our mission is to empower Baltimore youth to succeed in college, career, and life. We provide access and opportunity for students of religious, racial, and ethnic diversity to excel through rigorous academics, a corporate internship program, extracurricular activities, and faith formation. We transform lives in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition of faith, justice and reconciliation.

History

The debate in Baltimore over how to  improve education for residents is an annual civic ritual. In 2007, the Maryland Province Jesuits founded Cristo Rey Jesuit High School here in Baltimore to provide the opportunity for young men and women from the city to access a private, college preparatory education. Since then, CRJ has grown to serve 350 students in grades nine through twelve.

Maryland Province Jesuits

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School is sponsored by the Maryland Province Jesuits. The Jesuits have been educators for more than 450 years, and sponsor 64 high schools and 28 colleges and universities across the United States.

Beginning with the founding of Loyola College in 1852, the Maryland Province has worked to provide education of excellence based on the Jesuit philosophy of care for the whole person, service to the Church and community, critical thinking to build a more just society, and strong spiritual formation.

Cristo Rey Network

The first Cristo Rey school was opened in Chicago in 1996 by Jesuit priests who, concerned about the lack of resources and opportunities in their community, concluded that education was the key to improving lives. When word of their success spread, the Cristo Rey Network was formed.

Comprised of 37 Catholic, college- and career-preparatory schools that today serve 12,000 students across 24 states and collectively claim 18,000 graduates, the Cristo Rey Network delivers a powerful and innovative approach to education that equips students from families of limited economic means with the knowledge, character, and skills to transform their lives.

The Cristo Rey Network is the only network of high schools in the country that integrate four years of rigorous college preparatory academics with four years of professional work experience.