Our Story
Our Past
Our Yale campus first opened in August 2012 with just 100 students in sixth and seventh grades and 10 staff members. The state had authorized us to serve students in grades 6-12, and our original goal was to gradually add one grade level each year until we served students in all secondary grades. However, the need for expansion became evident right away in our first years of operation.
On average, 85-90% of our incoming students were NOT on grade level in reading and math, and while we were making impressive gains closing academic achievement gaps for our students, it became clear to us that we needed to intervene earlier than middle school. We realized we needed to offer elementary grades to better ensure students had strong academic foundational skills, instead of spending their middle school years focusing on remediation. As a result, MAS Charter School submitted a charter school amendment to the Public Education Commission (PEC) to expand our charter to serve elementary school students as well. On February 13, 2015, the PEC approved MAS' charter amendment to expand our charter, which today allows us to serve students in ALL grades K-12. We started our elementary program that very fall with grades K-1, and we added a grade level each year until we reached the full scale of elementary grades offered during the 2018-2019 school year.
In 2018, we worked with the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) and the PEC to apply to launch a PreK program. We were successful, and in the fall of 2019, our school expanded again to welcome our first class of 20 preschoolers.
MAS' Yale Campus now serves students in grades PreK-12 and is one of only three schools in New Mexico to do so. We are also the only college preparatory school to serve students in all grades!
In the 2017-2018 school year, MAS graduated our first class of high school graduates. Here are some compelling statistics about MAS' Class of 2018:
- 100% of our seniors graduated!
- 50% of our graduating seniors were the first in their family to graduate high school!
- 93% of our graduating seniors will be the first in their family to graduate college with a four year degree!
- 100% of our graduating seniors were accepted into college or the military!
- MAS’ graduating seniors enrolled in seven different New Mexico colleges, two out-of-state colleges, and enlisted in two branches of the military?
A Historic First
Since opening in the 2012-2013 school year, MAS has experienced explosive growth. We started with just 100 students, and today, we serve over 2,200 students at both campuses combined!
Our incredible growth has emboldened us to go further than any New Mexico charter school has before. In the fall of 2018, MAS made state history by opening a second campus, our Old Coors campus and in doing so, we became the first charter school in New Mexico to replicate! Our growing waitlist of over 1,000 students had quickly convinced our governing board, founder, leadership team, and stakeholders to urgently consider replication of our charter. On November 17, 2017, the PEC approved MAS Charter School to open a second campus--and blaze a trail to new and expanded opportunities for even more New Mexico students!
Our Future
With many families still on our waitlist, we continue to grow to meet the demand for our schools. Check back soon for updates about our exciting plans for growth!