New Mission High School

655 Metropolitan Avenue
Hyde Park, MA 02136
https://www.newmissionhigh.org/

New Mission High School is one of nine "pilot" high schools within the Boston Public School system. Founded in 1998, the school was explicitly created as a model of educational innovation and to serve as a research and development site for effective urban public schools. The school recently moved to its current location in the Hyde Park section of Boston. New Mission was named after both its original location in the Mission Hill area in Roxbury and its purpose of "doing things differently." New Mission services 263 students from across the City of Boston. The school's student and faculty population is diverse representing over 10 different ethnicities and cultures. Ninety six percent of the students at New Mission are students of color. Thirty one percent are classified as either Limited English Proficient or their First Language not English, eighty two percent are considered High Needs. The New Mission High School community strives to "level the playing field" for students of color by providing both a rigorous and supportive environment for its students to learn and develop. All students are expected to participate in at least one honors level class prior to graduation as well as apply for a minimum of five colleges. In 2006, the New Mission school community shifted its mission to ensure that college preparation and social justice was clear in its articulation of purpose. Our Mission New Mission High School empowers all students to become self-directed, lifelong learners who do well in the world and do well for the world. In our inclusive, portfolio-based school, our students develop their passion, commitment to learning, habits of mind, and essential skills. Our students will become college graduates who work to create positive change and a more democratic and just society. In 2011, New Mission was named by Governor Deval Patrick, one of 26 Title 1 Commendation Schools across the state of Massachusetts for narrowing proficiency gaps as evidenced by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, MCAS. As a result, we were awards funding to disseminate our effective practices to schools within our region. New Mission High School has created a strong school community and high expectations culture where rigorous coursework is paired with targeted supports for students. Graduation Requirements are aligned to the Common Core: 4 years of English 4 years of Math (minimum of pre-calculus) 4 years of History 3 years of Science (3 lab sciences) 2 years of Spanish 1 course in Health 1 course of Senior Research Seminar/Senior Defense 1 course of Computer Literacy Physical Education 100 hours of community service �" Senior Internship Portfolio �" all years 4 years of Advisory (College Access Curriculum, Community Service) Passing MCAS (ELA, Math, Science) All students are also required to complete bi annual Portfolio Presentations, health, computer literacy, and physical education. Because we strive for every student to complete at least on honors course prior to graduation, many of our students complete 5 sciences, history, and math cores through our Advanced Placement offerings. New Mission's signature course, Senior Seminar, affords our students the supports necessary to navigate the college process as well as critical community service experience in a field of their choice. A final 20 page research paper is required at student's final Portfolio Presentation ("The Defense"). Our partnerships with local artists allow us to offer an array of electives. New Mission High School has exceeded the Boston Public School's 2014 Acceleration Agenda goal of a graduation rate of at least 80%. Exhibiting the most impressive gains for the district by increasing our four-year graduation rate more than 33 points since 2006. In 2012, 90.8% of New Mission High students graduated in four years, compared to just 57.6% six years ago. New Mission High School is a strong competitor both in the classroom and on the court. We are well known for our championship sports teams. Over the past 6 years we have held three state titles in Basketball, as well as, numerous city championship titles in basketball and track and field. We also take pride in our award winning Urban Debate Team, which has qualified students for the National Forensic Competition. Teachers at New Mission engage in extensive peer learning and professional development opportunities to advance student learning. Our distributed leadership model is grounded in shared accountability between administrators and teachers toward a goal of instructional excellence and increased student achievement. Existent in our school structure are intentional systems to use data to drive decisions about curriculum, instruction and student supports. Teachers possess an "All Hands on Deck" mentality and take a student-centered approach that balances high academic expectations with integrated academic and developmental supports targeted to student needs.

Grants

2024 Academic Readiness/Post Secondary Success Grant | $100,000
Toward the support of their Academic Development & Acceleration programming and Culture & Community of Achievement programming at New Mission High School.

2023 Academic Readiness/Post Secondary Success Grant | $100,000
Toward the support of their Extended Learning, Academic Development & Acceleration, and Culture & Community of Achievement programming at New Mission High School.

2022 Academic Readiness/Post Secondary Success Grant | $100,000
Toward the support of their Extended Learning, Academic Development and Acceleration, Culture and Community of Achievement.