Begin your journey!
A Brotherhood of Excellence
Uncommon Excellence Boys Elementary and Middle School (K-8) is a school community dedicated to brotherhood. Under the guidance of passionate teachers and leaders – including many male role models who are also alums of our school and of HBCUs – you’ll see your child’s self-love and inner strength soar. Even more, our scholars learn that they can change the world for the better, as they prepare for success in college and beyond.
Academics & Culture
Excellence in Academics
With a longer school day and school year, our scholars benefit from extra instructional time in academic foundations like reading, writing, and math – as well as joyful learning experiences throughout every day, including an array of enrichment and extracurriculars. Our scholars are guaranteed enrollment at an Uncommon high school, where students achieve a 96% college-acceptance rate across our network of schools.
Excellence in Character
The spirit of brotherhood shines in our school culture. Within an affirming community, boys meet with and learn from teachers and leaders who share their backgrounds, gain experience connecting with their emotions, and actively support one another's goals. Our school values – including brotherhood, justice, courage, and respect – are reflected in uplifting cheers and scholar highlights. With Uncommon Excellence Boys, your child will develop the confidence to navigate the journey to college and reach his goals.
Excellence in Teaching
Uncommon Excellence Boys attracts fiercely devoted teachers who go above and beyond to help our scholars grow and achieve outstanding results. In fact, many of our male teachers collaborate to develop our school’s unique all-boys curriculum. In turn, we are committed to helping our teachers and school leaders develop their craft, providing regular feedback and support as well as meaningful professional learning throughout each school year.
Facilities Designed for Excellence
Our beautiful, standalone building enhances student safety while providing an environment in which students build a strong sense of community as they progress throughout grades K-8. As you walk our halls, you’ll see hundreds of inspirational quotes from leaders of color. Our stunning library will inspire your student’s curiosity, while our full-sized gymnasium and incredible rooftop playground promote joyful play and overall wellbeing.
Uncommon Excellence Boys alum, Elijah Megginson, regularly revisits his alma mater to inspire the next generation of Excellence. Elijah is currently enrolled at Morehouse College and has interned at The New York Times, BET, and NBA.
Watch as Elijah discusses what it means to return to Uncommon Excellence Boys as a Morehouse Man.
Our Leaders
Uncommon Excellence Boys Elementary School Principal
Jaz Grant
Jaz is a principal with extensive experience leading schools with both outstanding academics and a welcoming, affirming culture.
Jaz began his career as a teacher at Uncommon Excellence Boys. He went on to serve as a Principal Fellow at Uncommon Schools North Star Academy – Westside Park Elementary in Newark, NJ. He was then selected to be founding Principal of Uncommon Crown Heights Elementary School. Under his leadership, UCHE grew to become one of Uncommon NYC’s highest performing schools.
Jaz holds a B.A. in English from Morehouse College and a M.A. in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education.
Uncommon Excellence Boys Middle School Principal
Quinterrence Bell
Quinn has been serving the students of Uncommon Excellence Boys since 2018, first as the Principal of the elementary school and now the middle school.
Previously, he was a Middle School Reading Teacher and Instructional Coach at Uncommon Schools NYC’s Brownsville Collegiate Middle School and Outreach Recruiter for the Uncommon Schools Brooklyn region.
Quinn holds a B.A. in English from Morehouse College and a M.A. in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education. He currently attends Vanderbilt University where he is obtaining his Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy.
Partnering with Families
We value families as their child’s first teachers, and strive to partner with parents in ways that honor your important role. Our doors are always open, from welcoming parents into our schools to fostering consistent and clear communication with teachers. Don’t be surprised if you receive a text with a photo and update on your scholar’s progress! We also host a series of events throughout the school year aimed at building community with and among our families.
Morehouse Men Visit Uncommon Excellence Boys Brooklyn
"Welcome to Little Morehouse!” Morehouse Alum and Uncommon Excellence Boys Principal Quinterrence Bell cheered as 50 Morehouse College students arrived after a 14-hour-long bus ride to teach our K-8 students about beliefs that lead to the success of a Morehouse Man.
Picture Day Tiktok Video Goes Viral
4.3 Million people found out what we already know: that our teachers go above and beyond for their students! Uncommon Excellence Boys Teacher Kamal Morales shared a small snippet of his day and thousands of people praised him for showing care towards his students on picture day by moisturizing a scholar's picture-perfect face!
Academy Award Winner Mo'Nique visits Uncommon Excellence Boys
“I've seen how our babies are treated, how we're dealt with, how we're counted out, how we're thrown away, how we're treated like we are less valued. I've never before seen a principal or a teacher treat these babies as if they belonged to them, and then I walked into this school.”