Our School
St. Ignatius School (SIS) is a tuition-free, independent, co-educational, Catholic Jesuit middle school in the South Bronx that empowers low-income students of all faiths to become their best selves by creating a safe and nurturing environment in which intellectual, spiritual and social growth are fostered.
SIS’s 11-year program follows students from middle school through high school and college, and includes mentoring, tutoring, financial assistance and other support programs that produce a demonstrated record of educational success far greater than that of local public and charter schools.
"improvement in living and learning for the greater glory of God and the common good"
SIS’s mission and daily routine are guided by the beliefs of the 16th-century Spanish saint, Ignatius of Loyola, and the Society of Jesuit which he founded.
The Jesuit order embodies a tradition of spirituality and reflection, and its teachings urge students to be “contemplatives in action” working on behalf of global justice, peace, and dialogue.
SIS strives to ignite Jesuit values in the hearts and minds of its students by creating an environment where learning is exciting and reflects the tradition and ideals embodied in the Five Pillars of a Jesuit education.
Demonstrate transformative growth as a whole person - mind, body, and spirit - by taking responsibility for one’s own development, appreciation, and interaction with other people's interests and cultures
‣ Developing an understanding of scripture and learning to connect faith with the Gospels call to love others
‣ Learning the importance of both personal and communal prayer
‣ Gaining a knowledge of the beliefs, traditions, and values of the Catholic Faith
Learning that everyone has rights and dignities, and building the skills and motivation to become true “men and women for others” committed to creating a more just world
Achieving a level of competence in academic skills and subjects required for high school, college and a career
Understanding that God’s love is unconditional, and that the student’s contribution to family and school is a contribution to all
These five tenets inform every aspect of decision-making for faculty, staff and students as they fulfill their roles as learners, teachers, friends, members of the SIS family and outside community, citizens and people of Faith.
Demonstrating transformative growth as a whole person - mind, body, and spirit - by taking responsibility for one’s own development, appreciation one's talents and limitations, and interaction with other people's cultures
Gaining a knowledge of the beliefs, traditions, and values of the Catholic faith
Learning that everyone has dignities and rights, and cultivating the motivation and skills to become true “men and women for others” committed to creating a more just world
Achieving a level of competence in academic skills and subjects required for high school, college, and a career
Understanding that God’s love is unconditional, and seeking to live out that love in family, in school, and in the community
These five tenets inform every action and decision of faculty, staff, and students in all that they do as teachers, members of SIS, relatives, friends, citizens, and people of faith.
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"Finding God in all things"
When asked to describe the culture at St. Ignatius School, our students, faculty, volunteers, and visitors commonly use words like: “safe”, “supportive”, “loving”, “like a family”, “empowering.” The consistency of these observations does not happen by chance, but rather because our culture is firmly grounded in the Five Pillars of Jesuit education, Ignatian spirituality, and the Nativity School model, upon which SIS is based.
SIS commits to the success of its students by creating a safe, nurturing community that fosters intellectual, spiritual, and social growth.
St. Ignatius School is proudly based upon the esteemed tradition of the Jesuit’s Nativity Mission Center (NMC) – opened in 1948 on NYC’s Lower East Side to provide tutoring, emotional support, and social services to low-income youth.
The Nativity Mission Center school was founded in 1971 by the Jesuits to help Latino boys from low-income families who were not achieving success at their local high schools. They found that many of the boys were testing two and three grades below grade level (as is still the case with a majority of incoming SIS students today) prompting the teachers to develop a new approach to education: the school day was lengthened and a commitment was made to maintain a low student-to-teacher ratio allowing time for one-on-one instruction.
The effectiveness of the Nativity model has inspired dozens of Jesuit and non-Jesuit Nativity schools throughout North America to serve middle school students in underserved communities. Over 60 schools based upon the Nativity-model have opened across the United States with one unique feature being the continuous support of graduates in high school, college, and beyond.
For over 25 years, St. Ignatius School has educated and guided low-income students in grades 6-8, as well as SIS graduates throughout their high school and college years.
1995
SIS is founded as a “Nativity-model” boys’ middle school in a storefront on Hunts Point Avenue within the poorest congressional district in the U.S. (NY 14th)
1998
The first SIS middle school class graduates. The Summer Leadership Program and the Graduate Support Program are established
2004
SIS moves into a permanent school building on Manida Street and inaugurates a program for girls
2015
SIS celebrates its 20th anniversary
2018
SIS is awarded NY State Association of Independent Schools Accreditation
2022
A total of 420 students have graduated SIS since its inception
