San Miguel High School is a private Catholic and Lasallian college and college preparatory school located on the south side of Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is a member of the Cristo Rey Network of work-study schools.
History
San Miguel High School opened in 2004 to assist capable, students from families of limited means to prepare for college. It follows the Cristo Rey work-study model, whereby students work in businesses five days a month to earn 40% of their tuition. In its first nine years, the school had 492 graduates, all of whom were admitted to college. Current enrollment is 365, with 54 on the staff. About 95% of the students are Hispanic.
Academics
A total of 24 credits are required for graduation, as is participation in the Corporate Internship program. Four credits are required in English, mathematics, religious studies, and science; three in foreign language and social studies; and one in visual/performing arts and in academic skills/literacy.
Corporate partners
There are currently over 100 corporate partners that employ San Miguel students as part of the national Cristo Rey Network Corporate Work Study program. Videos are available on various aspects of the San Miguel experience.
Student activities
All students make a daylong retreat in each of the first three years and in the senior year a three-day Kairos retreat. The school also offers a five-day border immersion program, El Otro Lado, for students and staff to become informed and to strengthen their Christian perspective on the US-Mexican border problem. Athletics: Women's Cheer Soccer Softball Volleyball Men's Baseball Volleyball Basketball Soccer
Clubs: Rocketry Robotics Student Government (Freshman Council, Sophomore Council, Junior Council, Senior Council, and Executive Council) El Otro Lado Yearbook School Choir Ambassadors Honor Societies (National Spanish Society, National English Society, and National Honors Society) Environmental Club Bahay Pag-asa
Additional school facts
42% of families in the area earn less than $25,000 per year
half of the adults in the area do not have a high school education
80% of students qualify for free lunch. 80% of students are the first in their families to go to college. 63% of students attend a four-year university or college. 72% of San Miguel graduates have either graduated from college or are persisting in college, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Report 2015.
References
Further reading
Kearney, G. R. More Than a Dream: The Cristo Rey Story: How One School's Vision Is Changing the World. Chicago, Ill: Loyola Press, 2008.
External links
Partners - Cristo Rey Network
"Fr. John P. Foley honored with Presidential Citizen's Medal" Boston Globe - "With sense of purpose, students cut class for a day" Cristo Rey featured in Washington Post column by George Will Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - "Success of Innovative Urban Catholic School Sparks Major Investment"