New Haven Academy
Think Critically; Be Responsible; Get Involved
Mission, Vision, History
We’re excited to welcome you to the 2023-24 school year, NHA’s 21st year! At NHA, we provide a unique opportunity for students to take responsibility for themselves by requiring them to think critically, defend their ideas, and get involved in the community.
This website will provide you with the information you need to understand who we are, how we work, and how we can live up to the motto – Think Critically, Be Responsible, Get Involved
Grade Levels: 9 – 12
School Population: approx. 300
OUR MISSION
New Haven Academy provides a rigorous education that prepares all students to succeed in college and become active citizens able to make informed decisions about their lives and their communities. We are building a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse student body, providing individual attention for every student, and guiding students through the difficult transition from middle school to high school. New Haven Academy graduates will be independent thinkers who ask critical questions and who develop and defend their own ideas in order to achieve this vision, New Haven Academy is a learning community in which all members – staff, students, and parents – know each other well.
OUR HISTORY
New Haven Academy was founded in 2003 as a state-approved Interdistrict Magnet School and part of the New Haven Public Schools. We are modeled after The Institute for Collaborative Education (ICE), a New York City School founded in 1993. NHA’s founders, Greg Baldwin and Meredith Gavrin, worked at ICE in its early years, helping to develop its policies and program.
Education Reform Affiliation and Partnerships
NHA is a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES), a national network of schools committed to a set of common principles for student engagement and achievement. NHA has a partnership with Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO), an international organization whose mission is to engage high school students of diverse backgrounds in complex studies of prejudice reduction, social justice, and participation in a democracy in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry.
NHA has an Early College program that offers a credit-bearing college experience for all NHA students. NHA also has a unique partnership with Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT) that allows select 11th and 12th-grade students to enroll in undergraduate courses for advance college credit (for full credit, tuition-free).
New Haven Academy 