This article features the Preuss School UCSD which is considered as unique in a number of ways, among them are its unusual name and requirements for admission. The school was named in recognition of a substantial bequest from the Preuss Family Foundation that was earmarked to establish a charter school on the campus of the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) and opened in fall 1999 under a charter agreement between the university and the San Diego Unified School District. Although the school is housed in a $14 million facility in affluent La Jolla, California, the buildings were funded entirely by donors, and students commute from low-income communities in 41 different zip codes throughout San Diego. As a result, transportation logistics and costs are an ongoing challenge for the school and the students. Preuss currently serves approximately 400 middle school students in grades 6-8. The school is so popular that it is not unusual to have 800 applicants for the 120 spaces available in grade 6.