ACES Educational Center for the Arts

Achievement First Amistad High School opened in New Haven in August 2006 with its first class of ninth graders, growing out of Amistad Academy, the 1999 middle school that started the Achievement First network. Today we serve grades 9 through 12 as a tuition-free public charter school. Our goal is for all of our students to be accepted into four-year colleges. We pair challenging courses with SAT prep, intensive college counseling and tutoring, and our counselors keep working with alumni at colleges such as UConn, Yale, Wesleyan, Howard and the University of Pennsylvania. Students also compete in varsity athletics and join dance, music and robotics. Admission is by blind lottery, transportation is provided, and our campus on Dixwell Avenue is reachable by New Haven public bus.

Booker T. Washington Academy began with conversations at Varick Memorial AME Zion Church in 2008, when parents in the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods asked for a stronger school option. The Connecticut State Board of Education approved us as a charter school in 2014, and today we are a free public charter serving more than 400 scholars in kindergarten through 8th grade. Our elementary school is on State Street in New Haven and our middle school is on Circular Avenue in Hamden. Our extended day starts with breakfast and includes 3.5 hours of reading and writing and 1.5 hours of math daily, plus weekly science, dance, physical education and foreign language. Classes are capped at 22 scholars with a 1:10 teacher-scholar ratio. Scholars with an IEP or 504 Plan are welcome: certified special education teachers provide resource room and push-in support, and related services include speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and school counseling. Certified TESOL teachers support multilingual learners. Middle schoolers can join free clubs in ball hockey, invention, dance, art, chess and tennis, and paid after-school care runs at the elementary campus. New Haven Public Schools buses city residents.

Brave Nature School is an innovative micro-school located in the Greater New Haven area, dedicated to fostering a unique educational experience for children aged 0 to 11. With a core mission centered around community care, the school embraces a consent-based and anti-racist approach, prioritizing the innate dignity and autonomy of each child. This nurturing environment is designed to support children with diverse needs, including those with language-based learning disabilities and twice-exceptional students. Brave Nature School's programs are thoughtfully crafted to connect children with nature, allowing them to explore their surroundings while developing trust in themselves and their capabilities. The curriculum emphasizes unstructured play and exploration, integrating conflict transformation strategies that promote healthy interactions instead of punitive measures. This approach not only respects children's rights but also acknowledges broader social justice issues, aligning with the school's commitment to an abolitionist mindset. What sets Brave Nature School apart is its low student-teacher ratio, which fosters strong family partnerships and creates an intimate learning atmosphere. Additionally, the school's outdoor setting enhances children's engagement with the natural world, making learning both immersive and enjoyable.