The Bridge Academy was founded in 1997. We serve 280 students in grades 7 through 12. Our mission is to support students in their academic and social/emotional learning in order to prepare them for successful and happy futures. Toward this end, every day at Bridge Academy begins with a Circle of Power and Respect (CPR) in which students greet each other, share something about themselves and play a game. CPR time gives our students practice at important social skills such as cooperation, responsibility and self-control in a safe, structured environment.
We work to meet our students’ academic needs by emphasizing progress in reading skills: for example, all students participate in our Independent Reading program, and all classes prioritize the use of grade-level complex text for all readers. In addition, every middle school student and struggling ninth grade reader receive an hour of small guided-reading group instruction every day. To support math skills, every math class has two certified math instructors to insure students receive the support they need.
All 12th-graders complete a unique Senior Project program in which they choose a topic of interest to them, research that topic, write a paper, and create a presentation that they deliver to a group of ten to twelve community members in the spring. We also support families through every step of the college application process, from writing the Common Application essay to completing the FAFSA. As a result of these efforts, 100 percent of our seniors are accepted to college each year.
