San Miguel Academy of Newburgh is breaking the cycle of poverty through education. Students are engaged year-round in a safe and positive learning environment, providing them with a high-quality education that creates opportunities for them after leaving San Miguel Academy. Newburgh, New York is a city characterized by systemic poverty and unrelenting violence. It was recently ranked the 2nd most violent city in the State of New York. With a poverty rate of 25.4%, 1 in 4 residents of Newburgh lives in poverty. Since opening as a middle school in 2006, San Miguel Academy has grown into the multi-faceted San Miguel Program. Our method centers around a 12-year commitment to each student and his or her family which is integral to breaking the cycle of poverty and changing the trajectory of our students’ lives. San Miguel Academy serves low-income minority students and is 100% scholarship-driven. San Miguel Program boasts a 97% graduation rate from independent day and boarding secondary schools and accelerated public school programs. After high school, our graduates pursue the path that’s right for them, including college, trade school, and the military. San Miguel Program is defying the odds of the local public school where less than 30% of low-income males graduate. Our first cohort of girls will graduate from San Miguel Academy in 2022. In 2020, we purchased the former St. Francis School, which we had been renting for seven years. The stability of ownership truly makes us an anchor in the community and a beacon of hope for our families. Our location and visibility are central to families in need.