NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo

The NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo is a 5th-8th grade, faith-based school transforming the lives of underserved students in a secure and nurturing environment on single gender campuses: St. Monica Campus for girls and St. Augustine Campus for boys. At NativityMiguel, students have access to a unique model of education which promotes racial equity, inclusion, and success through mentoring, and academic and social-emotional support: one designed to prepare them for school success and to propel them from lives of poverty and struggle to futures of promise and stability. In partnership with our students’ families, NativityMiguel delivers a uniquely effective education that includes an extended school day and school year, dedicated and caring teachers, personal mentoring and continuing support through high school graduation. 

We are an intentionally small middle school and the only Buffalo non-public school recruiting and serving specifically 5th to 8th grade students from Buffalo’s most underserved neighborhoods who are at risk of not reaching their full potential, including succeeding in high school and pursuing higher education that will lead to career success. We recognize that a lack of opportunities is often responsible for continued systemic inequities, and so we purposely seek underserved children from families of great financial need looking for a fresh start and a path to a brighter future. These children experience obstacles to academic success based on their living circumstances, their families’ lack of financial stability, the racial injustices they often face, and their backgrounds which place them at-risk of academic failure.

Since September 2004, NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo has been providing students with the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty through education. When many of our students come to NativityMiguel, they are failing in school and are ready to give up. But through our tailored approach to teaching and learning, which serves the needs of inner-city youth, they’re able to succeed academically and become prepared for success in high school and beyond. NativityMiguel’s reach and impact in the Buffalo community is continually growing, with the school’s students and graduates demonstrating the benefits of the structure and supportive approach that are integral to the NativityMIguel model of education. 

To make the greatest impact, NativityMiguel recruits low-income students from Buffalo's inner-city neighborhoods, those performing below grade-level in school, and willing to embrace an extended school day and year to work toward the goal of high school and college graduation. Through its mission, the school serves students who are now or are most likely to “fall through the cracks” in the future if they remain in a public school. NativityMiguel students demonstrate a commitment to their education through a 96% attendance rate; in a typical year, they are in school for 9 hours each day, up to 11 months each year, including participation in the after-school and summer programs.