Former students credit Baltimore charter school with their success as it faces possible closure

Former students of the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys (BCSB) gathered for an event Wednesday, where some credited the school with their success as it faces a possible closure. 

For the past decade, the public charter school has been serving boys from fourth to eighth grades, with the goal of preparing them for careers in high school and college. 

The future of the school is now hanging in the balance after the Baltimore Board of Education announced its possible closure, citing funding issues and low enrollment. 

Proposed school closure

According to a November report from the school board, BCSB is considered one of Baltimore's smallest schools and showed low ratings in academics and financial management. 

The school has argued it does more than educate young men, saying it ensures a safer and better city. 

The board proposed closing the school by summer 2026. On Thursday, Jan. 8, the board will hold another hearing to discuss the future of the school before it votes on the decision next week. 

Since the announcement of the possible closure, the school has gathered a petition of 1,600 signatures of people who want the it to remain open. 

Former students remember BCSB

On Wednesday morning, the school hosted its annual alumni breakfast, with many former students returning to credit the school with their success. 

Domenic Caerry was one of several students who returned for the event and walked into a classroom that he remembered well. Caerry graduated from BCSB in 2020 and now attends the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 

"Honestly, this brotherhood created who I am today," he said. 

"I wouldn't be trying to be a children's trauma therapist today. I wouldn't be in college, and also I would be an angry boy," Caerry added. "I was real angry before BCSB."

BCSB is the only all-male charter school in Maryland. The school works to create an environment that teaches more than academics. It supports its students emotionally and psychologically, taking into account their home life and possible challenges. 

Nearly 90% of the boys who leave BCSB graduate from high school, and 50% of them go on to a two- or four-year college. 

Tori Holmes, who attends Loyola, said his life would be very different without BCSB. 

"I don't think I would be as successful and as upfront about the things I want without this school," he said. "Without this school, I wouldn't be as willing to try new things, even if I fail at them, at least I know I tried."