St. Martin De Porres Academy

The mission of St. Martin de Porres Academy is to provide an opportunity for urban economically-disadvantaged middle school children of diverse faiths, races and cultures. The Academy challenges each child to reach their potential and help them imagine the idea of college and believe they can succeed.

Description:
St. Martin de Porres Academy is an independent tuition-free middle school for children of low-income families from New Haven neighborhoods. We admit children from diverse faiths, races, cultures and cognitive profiles. The Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizat, Independent Schools.

Intentionally small, the Academy provides individualized curricula and rigorous academic, moral and social instruction to 67 students. In close partnership with the families, we are challenging our students to never give up on themselves, and to prepare to succeed in private high schools and ultimately college.

The curriculum was designed to build strong math, science, reading and writing skills, supplemented by courses in art, music and a foreign language. Each student is required to participate in cultural enrichment activities, an extended day program, and summer school. These programs reinforce the academic experience and foster the development of the whole person.

Structured classrooms of no more than 12 students allow teachers to understand the individual needs of each child and work with them. Additional tutoring gives our students the attention they need to master the basics and the confidence to move ahead. A social worker provides counseling to help foster each student’s emotional well-being and help them focus on attaining their academic goals.

Our school model is: small class size, an 10-hour extended school day, an 11-month extended school year, 90 minutes of reading per day, 2 meals a day and mandatory parental commitment. Our students are in school an average of 850 more hours per year than their public school peers and our attendance is 97%.

The Academy is governed by an independent Board of Trustees composed of educators and business people. We are the first NativityMiguel school in the State of Connecticut.

Children considered for admission to the Academy must qualify for free/reduced fee lunch program (family of four income must be less than $26,000 per year).

History:
In 1994 a group of New Haven business people came together to improve opportunities for urban youth. The group provided Sacred Heart/St. Peter Elementary School with program funding and high school scholarships for 25 graduating eighth grade students. During this time, the seed was planted to open a tuition-free school. The journey began with the initial idea in 2003 to the first day of school in September of 2005.

St. Martin de Porres Academy opened the first NativityMiguel School in Connecticut on September 6, 2005.
The philosophy of the NativityMiguel School is to break the cycle of poverty through education. With a long and successful track record, there are 64 Nativity/Miguel Schools in twenty-one states. In 2007, nearly 90% of the NativityMiguel 8th graders graduated from high school with 75% of these graduates going onto college. The average attendance rate at Nativity/Miguel schools is 97%. St. Martin de Porres Academy is the first Nativity School in Connecticut.

Contact person: Kathryn Champlin, Development Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (203) 772-2425

Address:

208 Columbus Avenue New Haven, CT 06519 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.saintmartinacademy.org

Directions:

Coming from the shoreline, I-95 S: • Start out going SOUTH on I-95 S / GOVERNOR JOHN DAVIS LODGE TURNPIKE. • Take the SARGENT DR exit- EXIT 46- toward LONG WHARF DR. • Turn LEFT onto SARGENT DR. • Turn RIGHT onto CHURCH ST EXT. • Stay STRAIGHT to go onto CHURCH ST S. which becomes CHURCH ST S / US-1. • Turn LEFT onto COLUMBUS AVE From I-91 S: • Merge onto I-95 S / Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike via the exit on the LEFT. • Follow directions above. From I-95 N: • Take the KIMBERLY AVE exit- EXIT 44- toward CT-10. • Take the ramp toward CT-10 / NEW HAVEN / YALE BOWL. • Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto CT-122 / KIMBERLY AVE. Continue to follow KIMBERLY AVE. • Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto HOWARD AVE. • Turn RIGHT onto COLUMBUS AVE / US-1.   Nearest Bus Stop: Nearest Bus Stop: New Haven Bus M5 / near connection with J

Last updated on September 25, 2009