Private School Founded by HBCU Alumni Honors Black Boys and Men at Annual Community Awards Ceremony

Nationwide — Icon Preparatory School (Icon Prep) is a Black-owned private school founded in Tampa, Florida in 2018 by FAMU alumni. After working in schools around the country, the founders created a college-prep school inspired by the ethos of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Icon Prep has grown to educate approximately 800 scholars in Tampa & Jacksonville, Florida with a Cleveland, Ohio location opening in Fall 2023.

With a paucity of African American educators in the United States, Icon Prep prides itself on having a large number of African American faculty. Nearly 40% of Icon Prep’s staff are African American males compared to only 2% nationally. Providing students with exposure to strong role models and mentors as well as character development has been key to Icon Prep’s success. The school notes significant behavior improvement among its scholars compared to their previous schools and for five years in a row most scholars at Icon Prep have significantly outperformed the national average for academic growth on norm referenced assessments.

Sons in Suits Community Awards (Sons in Suits) provided a platform for Icon Prep to celebrate the success of the boys and men within the school. Sons in Suits is an event that honors men and youth who are making a difference in the Tampa Bay area. Honorees were celebrated for going above and beyond in the fields of education, sports, community involvement and entrepreneurship. The awards ceremony was hosted by Brothers United Building Brothers Alliance (B.U.B.B.A.) under the Direction of Jalem Robinson. B.U.B.B.A.’s vision is to be an ongoing resource in the community providing effective programs and services that men and boys need to become successful.

For more information about Icon Prep, visit www.iconprep.org

For press inquiries, contact dwayne.raiford@iconprep.org