Mater Performing Arts & Entertainment Academy - Hialeah Gardens, FL

Nestled within the boundaries of a community deeply engrained in an Hispanic culture of generations past, Mater Academy of Performing Arts has become a fundamental element in the education paradigm shift of its stakeholders. Mater Performing Arts is comprised of a student population of whom the majority of families are low-income. Eighty percent of our students participate in the national free and reduced lunch program and will be first generation college attendees.

One of the biggest obstacles faced was the re-education of blue-collar households whose culture devalued the importance of a college education. Through Parent Academies, workshops, family days, and a highly motivated college assistance program adviser, we have been able to make great strides in the process. Having a 99% graduation rate and the majority of our students attending college, many leave home for the first time to attend prestigious institutions throughout the country.

Exploiting their love for the performing arts and their unwavering commitment to the many hours dedicated to visual arts, dance, vocals, theater, piano, or band rehearsals, we have been able to find a balance which emphasizes the academic challenges of a strong college-based core curriculum. It is the premise that our school is a "24/7 Institution". Our doors are never closed and academics and performances go hand in hand in a positive, nurturing culture.