One of the city’s most impactful non-profits, Academy Prep Center of St. Petersburg is celebrating 25 years of supporting students in the Burg. Academy Prep has been serving St. Pete since 1997, and in the 25 years since, the educational center has seen nearly 400 graduates, an incredible milestone for the center giving much needed help to underserved youth.

One of Academy Prep’s biggest annual events is also right around the corner, as they host the Breakfast For Scholars on Tuesday, October 17 at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club at 7:30 am. The annual breakfast is a great networking event, and an incredible way to support Academy Prep’s mission. Tickets are available here.

Academy Prep is a not-for-profit middle school modeled after the Nativity Miguel Network of Schools, which helps economically disadvantaged children utilize and value their education. Academy Prep’s purpose is to inspire and empower students qualifying for need-based scholarships to become future community leaders through a rigorous middle school program, coupled with ongoing graduate support.

The center’s proven approach has yielded incredible results not just in St. Pete, but in Tampa as well, where they opened a second center 20 years ago. By the time they graduate from Academy Prep, most 8th graders, on average, are scoring at or above grade-level in math and reading on national assessment tests. This despite the fact that many of these same scholars began Academy Prep two to three grade levels behind in fundamental reading and math skills.

The majority of their scholars end up earning scholarships to private or boarding prep schools, and a whopping 98% of Academy Prep alumni have graduated from high school on time, since 2005 when the graduate support program was implemented. Not only that, but 94% of their graduates have gone on to or are currently enrolled in post-secondary education, or have served in the United States Armed Forces.

“With 25 years of proven results, Academy Prep graduates are not only tomorrow’s leaders, but today’s,” said Gina Burkett, Head of School. “They are pursuing advanced degrees and careers in every field and using their talents to give back to their community and to the school that gave them so much.”

Today, those 400 Academy Prep graduates can be found spread across the globe excelling in careers as lawyers, entrepreneurs, CPAs, teachers, engineers, tech specialists, nonprofit founders, artists, and designers. 

In our society, we face a widespread lack of access to quality education in a stable, supportive environment. Students across Tampa Bay deserve to have their dreams of success fostered. Academy Prep aims to inspire and empower students to become future community leaders through a rigorous middle school program coupled with ongoing graduate support.

Academy Prep achieves this goal in three main ways: by providing an exemplary college prep middle school education, expansive extracurricular and enrichment activities, and a minimum of eight years of one-on-one support for all graduates through high school, college, and into their careers.

Learn more about Academy Prep Center of St. Petersburg, and lend the impactful organization your support, at stpete.academyprep.org.