Empowering Back of the Yards middle schoolers to dream big dreams, reach for the stars and achieve their full potential.
A Day in the Life of San Miguel School
Through our unique educational model—which provides intensive academic and social-emotional support while fostering the development of important traits such as perseverance and resilience—we have transformed hundreds of lives and set generations of San Miguel scholars on the path to success.
Our Mission
To transform the lives of our students, their families and their neighbors in the Back of the Yards community by opening doors to knowledge, faith and opportunity.
Our Educational Model
- Our 1:9 teacher-student ratio, support for English language learners, math and reading specialists, and counselors enable us to provide the intensive academic and social-emotional supports that our students need to succeed.
- We set aside 80 minutes each school day for reading support. Our students read an average of 120 books per year!
- Through our Renaissance Program and other enrichment activities, we open doors to the arts, leadership opportunities, coding and cooking classes, sports and fitness activities, chess, nature retreats, and more.
Our Impact
- San Miguel scholars progress 4-6 grade levels in just 3 years.
- Nearly all of our graduates qualify for college-preparatory high school programs.
- More than 90% of our alumni earn high school degrees, compared to 58% of their neighborhood peers.
- More than half continue on to college, compared to 12% of Back of the Yards residents overall.
- Many San Miguel School alumni are the first in their families to realize the dream of a higher education.
