NOVA Academy

Thanks to the generous support of the Anderson Children’s Foundation, NOVA Academy – Coachella will empower underrepresented youths during the 2023-2024 school year with two exciting initiatives that endeavor to improve academic performance and student success: "Test Like a Champion" and "SOAR".

Test Like a Champion is a test preparation workshop series that aims to provide students with the confidence and skills they need to be successful in state testing. The program will use exciting, engaging, and hands-on activities to reinforce concepts taught in the classroom and teach students about effective test-taking strategies. Workshops will include both afterschool and Saturday events, with content varying by grade level.

SOAR is an academic support program providing struggling students with remediation and recovery opportunities for their learning needs in reading and math. Biweekly support sessions will be offered throughout the year, providing students individualized coaching and tutoring.

Through these initiatives, NOVA Academy – Coachella aspires to enhance the academic performance, college readiness, and overall success of its student. This project closely aligns with NOVA Academy's broader mission to inspire, educate, and prepare all students for success in both academics and in life.

As a result of the “Test Like a Champion” and “SOAR” initiatives, NOVA students will develop stronger test-taking skills, make greater strides toward reading and math proficiency, and become more confident in their ability to succeed. NOVA Academy - Coachella is dedicated to ensuring its staff and programs will educate, nurture, and empower a new generation of honest, compassionate, and high-achieving young men and women, who will go on to make valuable contributions to society.

Contact: Lisa Hernandez, Principal

Email: lisa-hernandez@nova-academy.org

Website: www.nova-academy.org/coachella

Over the past 10 years, NOVA Academy – Coachella has strived to transform the lives of adolescents across the Riverside and San Bernardino Counties through use of its innovative Early College High School model, helping students to reach their full academic potential through dual enrollment in college courses and a holistic high school program. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unprecedented barriers to the academic success and socio-emotional wellbeing of NOVA Academy students. Rising unemployment across the Coachella Valley in excess of 32% continues to significantly inhibit the ability of socioeconomically disadvantaged students to access a now fully online high school education and remain connected to their peers, teachers, and community.

The NOVA Academy R.E.A.C.H. program (Resources Empowering Academics in Coachella Households) seeks to ensure that all NOVA Academy- Coachella students and teachers possess the necessary technological tools to fully engage in comprehensive, immersive, and academically and socially fulfilling virtual/hybrid high school courses. This project will provide internet access to students and families who would otherwise be unable to participate in online programs, instructional tools for teachers to create a more meaningful virtual class experience for their students, and the resources needed to ensure a continuity of connectedness and engagement among the entire NOVA Academy - Coachella community.

For over a decade it has been the mission of NOVA Academy Early College High School to inspire, educate, and prepare all students for success, both in academics and in life. To achieve this, NOVA provides the unique opportunity for socioeconomically disadvantaged youths complete up to two years of college courses while earning their high school diploma, enrolling over 600 students annually across southern California. With the establishment of the NOVA Academy - Coachella campus in 2010, NOVA’s acclaimed programming has expanded to serve an additional 200 students in Coachella Valley, giving underserved students in Riverside County the opportunity to enroll in tuition-free courses through UCI, Concordia University, and College of the Desert. NOVA Academy – Coachella is determined to empower its students to achieve their full potential, equipping a student body of 95.1% socio-economically disadvantaged youths and 17.7% English Learners with the tools and guidance they need to catalyze lifelong success.

NOVA Academy ECHS provides underrepresented students access to an academically rigorous, blended high school/college curriculum. We prepare our students for the 21st century by offering advanced opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills needed to smoothly transition to higher education or with marketable skills. NOVA Academy’s goal is to create an environment that offers well-rounded educational opportunities, and at the same time, challenges all students to attain excellence. By giving students the opportunity to dual enroll in college and high school courses, NOVA Academy allows students to assume a high level of responsibility for their own education, which leads to success in a post secondary education. In 2013, NOVA Academy had a 100% graduation rate, with 90% of graduates currently attending a 4-year university or a community college. The Class of 2013 graduated with numerous college credits and college acceptances included University of California, Riverside, California State University, San Bernardino, California State University, San Francisco, and the Art Institute of San Diego.