Our Vision 

We believe in the philosophy of Ron Edmonds who said, “We can, whenever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do that.  Whether or not we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far.” 

Our Mission

Southland is committed to the following:

• Preparing all students to select, enroll in, and succeed in graduating from a four-year college or university
• Communicating clearly and openly with students and families
• Creating an environment that enables all students to achieve their educational potentials, incorporating data-driven strategies proven to support the maximization of student learning
• Creating relevant, rigorous and interactive learning experiences
• Assisting students in intellectual, social and emotional development
• Stimulating inquiry and discovery
• Tailoring curriculum to meet the students’ interests and needs
• Providing immersion in workplace and cultural experiences
• Treating students and their families with the concern, compassion and respect which benefit our shared commitment to one another as we guide our children on their educational journeys.

Southland's History

Southland College Prep opened its doors in August 2010 to just 121 students in 9^th grade. Our promise was to provide a college prep curriculum for all our students and fully prepare them for the next level of education – college. Beyond serving our students and their families with a rigorous academic program and rich complement of extra-curricular activities, our goal was to prove the possible. Southland set out to defy expectations for our predominantly African American community and demonstrate that 100% of our students would be accepted to the four-year higher education institution of their choice.

Our vision in 2010 remains our vision today: to create and refine a model that can be replicated throughout the nation which establishes a new standard of excellence in academic achievement and college success for our students.

Now in its tenth year, Southland has grown to serve 573 students and has demonstrated remarkable success. Most notably, 100% of our first seven graduating classes were accepted to college. Together the students in the seven graduating classes were offered more than $200 million in merit-based scholarships. Southland students have been accepted to 38 of the U.S. News & World Report’s Top 50 Colleges, including all eight of the Ivy League institutions. (Read more about Our Results)