Our Purpose

Chattanooga Preparatory School is an all-boys public charter school located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We started with an inaugural sixth-grade class and will add an additional class each academic year until we reach 12th grade for a total enrollment of 500 students.  We offer a quality STEM-centered curriculum in addition to leadership development to ensure our students' future success in a fast-paced world.



Our Inspiration

Chattanooga is a city with a rich history and a bright future – a community with boundless capacity for innovation, transformation, and economic prosperity.

Unfortunately, these opportunities are not accessible for all members of our community, especially in urban core neighborhoods where young men are disproportionately impacted by poverty and education inequity.

In 2015, our founders, Ted and Kelly Alling toured the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA) and walked away inspired by the transformational impact the school provided young women. We began to envision an all-boys public charter school that would offer the same educational opportunities for young men. 

In 2016, our founders brought together a visionary group of innovators to create Chattanooga Preparatory School (Chattanooga Prep), located adjacent to CGLA in the spirit of educational innovation and collaboration. Two years later, our inaugural class of sixth-graders embarked on a journey of redefining education in Chattanooga; as they walked through our doors, they also opened the door for better futures for all our students, families, and the city of Chattanooga.

It is our sincere belief that the talents and gifts of our current and future students have been underserved – the families and young men of Chattanooga deserve greater opportunity and choice. We hope you will join us in building the men of tomorrow and transforming the educational landscape of Chattanooga. 




Core Values

  • We are a family. Bound by trust, lifted by hope, and driven by a shared purpose. We show up for one another, opening our hearts, sharing our stories, and building bonds that stand the test of time. We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standard, choosing what is right over what is easy. For our scholars, that means forging a true brotherhood; for all of us, it means creating a community where joy, accountability, and excellence are the foundation of everything we do.

    Together, we find strength in our unity and purpose in our bonds.

  • True success is earned through unwavering hard work. We believe that effort is the engine of excellence, and we commit to giving more, doing more, and achieving more every single day. Fueled by a growth mindset, we see every challenge as an opportunity to rise, every success as a call to reach even higher. We refuse to settle for good enough because we know that greatness is built through relentless dedication, continuous improvement, and the courage to demand the best from ourselves and from each other.

    Together, we do not just chase greatness. We claim it.

  • Greatness is not given. It is earned through the fires of adversity. We do not back down from challenges. We run toward them, knowing that struggle shapes strength and perseverance builds purpose. When the path is difficult, we lean in. When setbacks strike, we rise stronger. Grit is not simply enduring the hard moments. It is standing tall through them, with courage, determination, and an unshakable belief in what we are capable of becoming.

    Together, we do not just face adversity. We conquer it.


Mascot

The Sentinel

In 79 A.D., the erupting Mt. Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii, Italy. Many years later, archeologists uncovered the remains of people buried by the volcano. Among the ruins, some bodies were found in deep vaults, as if they’d gone looking for security. Others were found in lofty chambers. But where did they find the Roman Sentinel? They found him standing guard at the city gate where he had been placed by the captain, with his hands still grasping his weapon. There, while the earth shook beneath him and the floods of ashes and cinders overwhelmed him, he stood his ground, never leaving his post, loyal and brave until the end. There, after a thousand years, he was found and today, at Chattanooga Prep, we reimagine and resurrect his strength and bravery as our school mascot.