By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
With back-to-school season around the corner, the spotlight turns to how local schools are preparing students for the year ahead—particularly in communities where resources are limited. Seattle Nativity, a tuition-free, Jesuit-endorsed STEM middle school in South Seattle, has become a model for how targeted, community-driven education can help close achievement gaps for low-income students.
“We are serving low-income students of all faith backgrounds. Our mission statement is seeking to break the cycle of poverty through an education that nourishes souls and ignites leaders for love and service,” said Fr. Jeffrey McDougall, S.J., President of Seattle Nativity School.
At the heart of that mission is the Nativity model, which combines small class sizes, extended school days, and summer programming to ensure students stay on track academically. With a 10:1 student-teacher ratio, individualized instruction, and a rigorous STEM curriculum aligned with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, the school ensures every student is prepared for Algebra I by graduation.
“We follow the Nativity model, which means small class sizes, extended school day with study hall, and an extended school year with summer school,” McDougall said. “We do this because we want to ensure that we are finding the best fit for our students, and we have this mindset or trajectory that we are going to try to get you into a college prep high school, and that is the aim.”
The school’s mission has always centered on serving students from low-income families, a focus that has shaped its diverse student body. Today, most students identify as BIPOC, with the majority being Black and African American.
“Really, at first our one criteria was low income. But likely at this point we are 83% Black and African American, and about 10% Hispanic,” McDougall said. “While it has been a function of low-income, we do take into consideration where they are coming from, and what culture they are coming from, so we can make cultural connections and help bridge connections if we need to. BIPOC students are more of who we serve, but it has been more of a function of income level.”
Extended school days, though sometimes unpopular with students, are part of how Seattle Nativity supports families who might not have the resources to help with homework after school.
“It is not across the board, but often you will have a single-parent family who is working to hold on to multiple jobs. So that means, when students are done with the school day, what type of structure do they have at home to have someone be able to help them with their homework? And that is why we do the extended day,” McDougall said. “So, if there is a hardship for our families, this model in place really helps because the students are here with us after school, getting their homework completed, and it is a great support that we give.”
McDougall believes the three years students spend at Nativity provide a strong foundation for high school and beyond. The school guides students through interviews, essays, and applications for college prep high schools, many of which offer scholarship-based financial aid.
“If we can have them commit to us for three years and then apply to these high schools, they are going to be very well prepared academically. Most schools will have them do an interview or write an essay, and we support them through that process, whether it is rehearsing an interview with them or working through their essay,” McDougall said. “We also walk them through the application process because the next level, a lot of institutions have some sort of scholarship-based financial aid that they would need to be positioned for.”
“This past year, there’s probably a little over $500,000 offered to eighth graders, and then they have to choose to accept it or not, so we have been successful at the high school level in terms of our kids receiving the awards on their own merit, which is great for them,” added McDougall.
The school’s Graduate Support Program is another way Seattle Nativity ensures students thrive beyond middle school. Staff members continue to check in with alumni, even visiting them on their new campuses.
“It is simple. To keep them gathered and to support them because, in some cases, they might be new to the environment or the school they are attending. So how can we keep them feeling supported? We have people from our school who will physically show up on their school campus for support,” McDougall said. “That transition to that next institution, it’s not necessarily going to be easy for them. So, we really have committed to bridging the connections for them.”
McDougall says that the relationships students build with their teachers are a defining strength of the Nativity model.
“You will have seven teachers that know you, because the class sizes are small by design, each teacher is going to truly know you and care about you learning their subject,” he said. “Every single classroom environment is going to be, Hey, how can I know you better? And how can I help you better? With that, it is helping the students to learn interpersonal skills. It is not all about did you do all your math problems, but how are you feeling today? And that is important to our teachers.”
