Luis Eladio Torres

Luis Eladio Torres was born and raised in the Bronx. He spent his childhood in the Soundview section and has lived in the Bronx all his life. For almost all of his 52 years of existence, he has dedicated himself to the community and education. As the son of a superintendent, Luis Angel Torres, of two buildings, he developed a strong work ethic and commitment to community. Torres's has a Whole Community Education approach, with a focus on improving the conditions of the environments our children live in. He has a unique connection with this community because he is a product of the New York City public school system as well as the Bronx. As mentioned earlier, Torres's father, an apartment building superintendent and a community organizer, raised him to be a leader in the community and to give back. When his father passed away, Torres made a commitment to continue the work his father started. Torres lives in the Bronx with his wife, Joan Torres, and their three children, who have all attended or are attending district schools. His mother, Elizabeth Torres, continues to live in the Bronx, on the block, Elder and Watson, that was recently named after his father.  After serving in the U.S. Navy for 10 years, Torres earned an Associate's Degree in Biology from Hostos Community College, a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the City College of New York, a Master's Degree in Education from Mercy College, and an Advanced Degree in Administration from Hunter College. He did all of this to prove his high school counselor wrong. The counselor told Torres to join the military because he would never be successful in college. Torres then entered the New York City Leadership Academy, after which he was given the responsibility of leading Community School 55 in the Bronx. Torresand his team are responsible for turning C.S. 55—once the lowest-performing school in New York City, located in District 9 in the center of the Morrisania housing projects in the Bronx—into a model community school. Torres has raised millions of dollars for C.S. 55 and surrounding schools, acting as his school's spokesperson, publicist, and cheerleader. He has trained principals from across the City on how to get the resources they need for their schools. His commitment is not only to his own school, he is dedicated to changing the outcomes for all children across the City and the Bronx.  Luis Eladio Torres is the first Puerto Rican man to be named president of the New York City Elementary School Principals Association, he is the District 9 CSA Executive Board representative, and chairperson of the Bronx Elementary School Principals Consortium. He has served as a school principal in New York City for more than 18 years and has been in education for over 28 years. He completed the prestigious Cahn Fellows program in 2019 and in 2023 was name Angel de Enero by Univision. Over his many years in education, he has received many accolades. He was named Outstanding Young Educator in 2011 by ASCD for the country when Obama was president, in 2013 he became the Dailynews Hometown Hero, 2014 NAACP Outstanding Educator, 2017 Educator of the Year NYLPRW, and 2018 Hostos Community College Trailblazer. He has recorded two TEDx Talks, and finally in 2023 he released his booked titled “The Six Priorities.” People have said, that his work is revolutionizing education and has changed the “education game.” The Six Priorities is based on Torres’ understanding that for many of our families education is a sixth priority. Food, shelter, safety, health, and access to technology come before education. This is not because our families do not value education, it is because for them, life’s necessities come first. As a leader in education, Torres has created a school that is a model for the country. He has a partnership with Montefiore hospital to provide a nurse, dentist, ophthalmologist, psychologist, and doctor full time on staff. The school is connected with the Green Bronx Machine that provides health and wellness initiatives. They grow their own food, distribute to the community, and teach the children how to cook them. On the third floor, Graham Windham provides ACS preventive services. The school yard has been converted into an amazing soccer stadium, thanks to the efforts of Street Soccer USA. There has been over 23 million dollars in investments to the school in his tenure as principal. In the coming months, CS 55 will have a new auditorium, cafeteria, and through their partnership with Windows of Hip Hop, a state-of-the-art music studio. This music studio will become the window for many of our children to the music industry and more.   During the pandemic, Luis Eladio Torres co-founded with BronxNet, the Bronx Edulution Television Channels. These channels were created to ensure that all children who did not have access to technology would be able to still receive a quality education. The content was created by the community for the community, and it is a clear example of Torres’ visionary approach to education. He created virtual proms, graduations and other ways for schools to be able serve their communities during this challenging time. His efforts are documented in a video by the New York Times. You can also follow his amazing work on social media where he is respectfully known as the “Bronx Principal.