Nativity Preparatory School

What Nativity Preparatory School does

Nativity Preparatory School (legal entity Nativity-Boston, Inc.) is a private, tuition-free Jesuit middle school located at 39 Lamartine Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1990 by former Boston City Councilor Barry T. Hynes, it is the oldest and longest-operating Nativity-model school in the United States, currently serving approximately 55 boys in grades 5-8 drawn from under-resourced Boston neighborhoods (Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roxbury, Roslindale). The student body is 56% African/African-American, 30% Hispanic/Latino, and 14% other/multi-race, with ~70% from multilingual households, ~70% from single-parent families, and an average family income of $44,000.

Academically, the school operates with a 3:1 student-to-teacher ratio on an extended-day (7:30 AM-5:45 PM) and extended-year schedule, delivering core subjects (Reading/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Religion), arts, athletics, and social-emotional learning, plus three daily meals. The Graduate Support Office, established in 1995, follows alumni through high school placement, college advising, and continuing support via the College Promise Program, which distributes average $5,000 grants from a $1 million Johnson Scholarship Foundation-matched endowment. A 2024 Suffolk University agreement extends the pipeline to graduate MBA scholarships, and the Eileen P. Roche Teaching Fellow Program (post-2025 named endowment of $500K) supplies a sustainable teaching talent pipeline with a tuition-free Boston College Lynch School M.Ed. pathway.

The school is entirely privately funded through donations, foundation grants, planned giving, corporate partnerships, and fundraising events. Revenue streams include Annual Fund donations, individual student sponsorships ($7,500/year) and class sponsorships ($25,000), corporate philanthropy, planned-giving bequests, a $250 annual activity fee, and event proceeds from the Promise Dinner, Golf Classic, and Falmouth Road Race. NEASC accreditation and Jesuit Schools Network membership lend credentialing legitimacy. Major funder history includes Yawkey Foundation ($750K, 2003), Johnson Scholarship Foundation ($1M matching, 2021), the John J. 'Jack' Coleman estate ($599,382, 2023), and the Eileen Patricia Sullivan Roche Foundation ($500K, 2025).

Name

Nativity Preparatory School

Legal name

Nativity-Boston, Inc.

Website

https://nativityboston.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nativity Preparatory School is a tuition-free Jesuit middle school in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, founded in 1990, serving approximately 55 boys in grades 5-8 from low-income Boston families through extended-day academics, 3:1 teaching ratios, and cradle-to-college graduate support including the College Promise Program and a Suffolk MBA partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-8 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Middle school education
• Jesuit education
• Tuition-free schooling
• College preparatory programs
• Graduate support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Jamaica Plain

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Annual Fund: Individual donors contribute to the Annual Fund to support general operations, student scholarships, and school programs.
2. Student Sponsorship Program: Individual sponsors commit $7,500/year to support one student's education; class sponsors commit $25,000/year to support an entire cohort.
3. Activity Fees: Families pay a $250 annual activity fee to cover extracurricular activities, field trips, retreats, and special events.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners provide financial support, volunteering, career networking for alumni, and philanthropy to support the school's mission.
5. Planned Giving and Endowments: Legacy gifts through the 1990 Legacy Society, including bequests, life insurance, retirement plans, charitable trusts, and gift annuities.
6. College Promise Endowment Investment Returns: Returns from the $1 million College Promise endowment (established with Johnson Scholarship Foundation matching grant) support college-bound alumni.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Nativity Preparatory School delivers tuition-free Jesuit middle school education (grades 5-8) to boys from under-resourced Boston communities, with an extended school day (7:30 AM - 5:45 PM), 3:1 student-to-teacher ratio, three daily meals, counseling, athletics, and clubs. The school also provides ongoing graduate support through high school placement, college advising, and the College Promise Program offering average grants of $5,000 per student per year.

Product overview

Nativity Preparatory School offers a single, unified educational program centered on tuition-free Jesuit middle school education for boys in grades 5-8 from under-resourced Boston communities. The core academic program is complemented by an integrated ecosystem of support services including the Graduate Support Program (high school and college placement), the College Promise Program (financial aid for college alumni), and the Eileen P. Roche Teaching Fellow Program (teacher development). Additional offerings include co-curricular sports and clubs, counseling services, food service, and a student sponsorship program. The Suffolk MBA Partnership extends support to alumni pursuing graduate education. Together, these programs form a comprehensive cradle-to-college support system designed to develop 'men for others' ready to thrive in high school, college, and beyond.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Middle School Education Program (Grades 5-8) Tuition-free Jesuit middle school education for boys in grades 5-8 from under-resourced Boston communities, featuring a rigorous academic curriculum, extended school day (7:30 AM - 5:45 PM), 3:1 student-to-teacher ratio, three daily meals, counseling services, and Chromebooks for students.
• Graduate Support Program Comprehensive support services for alumni including high school placement assistance and college placement support, helping alumni navigate applications, financial aid (FAFSA), and transitions to secondary and higher education.
• College Promise Program Financial support program bridging gaps between financial aid and family resources for college-enrolled alumni, providing approximately $5,000 average grant per student per year, achieving a 96% college graduation rate.
• Eileen P. Roche Teaching Fellow Program Two-year fellowship for recent college graduates providing mentorship to students, classroom support, and professional development including opportunity to earn a master's degree from Boston College Lynch School of Education.
• Co-Curricular Program Interscholastic sports (baseball, basketball, track and field, soccer) and clubs (cooking, chess, anime, swimming, snowboarding, ice skating, skateboarding) supplementing the academic curriculum.
• Student Support Services Counseling services including individual counseling, social-emotional learning (SEL), academic skill building, crisis intervention, and family partnerships for enrolled students.
• Food Service Program Three daily meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks) provided at no cost through the Community Eligibility Provision and Universal Free School Meals Program in Massachusetts.
• Suffolk MBA Partnership Collaboration with Suffolk University providing two full-tuition graduate scholarships per year for qualifying alumni enrolling in Suffolk's MBA program, along with mentorship and career advising.
• Student Sponsorship Program Individual student sponsorship ($7,500 minimum annual gift) and class sponsorship ($25,000 annual gift) programs connecting benefactors directly with students' educational journeys.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% college graduation rate for College Promise Scholars (vs. national averages)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Suffolk UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuffolk University and Nativity Prep announced a collaboration providing two full-tuition graduate scholarships per year for qualifying alumni enrolling in Suffolk's MBA program. Suffolk also provides mentorship, career advising, and support to help graduates succeed. The four-year agreement may be renewed and represents a significant pathway for Nativity alumni to pursue graduate education.
• Boston College Lynch School of Education & Human DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNativity Teaching Fellows have the opportunity to enroll tuition-free in a master's degree program at Boston College's Lynch School of Education & Human Development, supporting their professional development as educators.
• Boston CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing alumni mentoring and networking opportunities.
• NativityMiguelminorOthersNativityMiguel collaboration shown on footer logo, suggesting network or affiliation with other Nativity model schools.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nativity School of Worcester: A NativityMiguel-affiliated Catholic middle school serving boys from low-income Worcester families. Operates the same tuition-free, extended-day, small-cohort Nativity model as Nativity Prep Boston — directly comparable in mission, structure, and funding approach.
• Cristo Rey Boston High School: Jesuit, college-prep Catholic high school in Boston serving low-income urban students through an integrated work-study model. Shares the Jesuit mission, Boston demographic, and corporate-partner fundraising DNA with Nativity Prep, though at the high-school level.
• KIPP Academy Boston: Boston charter middle school serving predominantly low-income students of color from similar neighborhoods (Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan). Directly comparable in target population, tuition-free model, extended-day programming, and college-prep mission.
• MATCH Charter School: Boston tuition-free public charter serving a high-need, predominantly minority student body with extended day/year and college persistence supports. Comparable in mission, funding mix (per-pupil plus philanthropy), and demographic served.
• City on a Hill Charter Public School: Boston charter high school enrolling students from similar Boston neighborhoods with a college-prep focus and corporate partner engagement. Adjacent grade band but highly comparable population, mission, and Boston footprint.

Broad incumbents

• BC High (Boston College High School): Long-established Jesuit college-prep high school in Boston that Nativity Prep alumni commonly matriculate into. Not a direct competitor (different income tier, tuition-charging), but the same Jesuit educational ecosystem and a key high-school placement destination.
• Uncommon Schools: National nonprofit charter network operating K-12 schools for predominantly low-income students of color with extended-day programming and college persistence supports. A scaled analog of Nativity's mission, useful for benchmarking at the multi-site operating level.
• Cristo Rey Network: National network of 40+ Catholic, college-prep high schools serving low-income students via an integrated corporate work-study model. Demonstrates the scale template for taking a single-site mission (like Nativity Prep's) to national replication.

Regional players

• Excel Academy Charter Schools: Boston-area charter network (East Boston, Chelsea) serving predominantly Latino newcomer students with an extended-day model and college focus. Comparable at the population-and-program layer; overlaps less at the Jesuit/Catholic identity layer.

Others

• NativityMiguel Coalition of Schools: Network/affiliation body supporting NativityMiguel-model schools across the United States. Provides shared services, advocacy, and movement-level funding to schools like Nativity Prep, useful for understanding ecosystem-level support and replication patterns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nativityprepboston
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nativityboston
• Instagraminstagram.com/nativityprepboston
• Xx.com/nativityboston

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nativity Preparatory School