- Data Portal
- > School Profile
Mott Haven Academy
Mott Haven Academy, nominated by TNTP, is an elementary/middle school in New York, New York, that describes itself as a public charter school serving learners from a primarily urban area.
Location New York, New York
Governance Public Charter School
Grades Pre-Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle
Students 502
Locale Urban
Executive Director and Founder Jessica Nauiokas
Demographics
Percentage of students*
16%
English Learners
97%
Free/Reduced Lunch
25%
Students with Disabilities
African American or Black 33%
American Indian/Alaska Native 1%
Asian —
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander —
Hispanic or Latino 62%
White 1%
2+ Races —
Why Mott Haven Academy was nominated
Haven Academy has implemented a personalized learning model that features a rigorous curriculum and integrates social-emotional learning throughout its programming in order to disrupt the cycle of trauma many of its students have experienced. The school is located in the South Bronx and by design mostly enrolls foster-involved youth. Students in grade levels that have begun the conversion to a personalized learning model engage in a flexible learning experiences, with voice and choice over what tasks they engage in. Technology is thoughtfully integrated into the school's model to provide students with learning experiences that would not be possible with traditional materials and/or to streamline work for teachers. Also core to the model at Haven Academy is their focus on knowledge-based literacy instruction, cumulatively building knowledge and vocabulary. The integration of social emotional learning throughout Haven Academy's model results in trauma-informed instruction that enables students, the majority of whom are in some stage of foster care and/or live in the most impoverished congressional district in America, to earn academic outcomes that exceed their neighborhood peers and match or (in many cases) exceed the city and state's state overall averages. In addition to providing students who our school systems have historically struggled to educate successfully with the academic skills they need, Haven Academy is also teaching the soft skills students will need to successfully navigate the rest of their education and succeed in the job market of the 21st century.
Student experience design
The name of our school, Haven Academy, is not only named after the Mott Haven neighborhood that we call home. We are named “Haven” to evoke the stable and safe community that we want our school to be for all our students, team members, and families. We want Haven Academy to be the most predictable, reliable, safe, and understanding space of kindness that we feel our students deserve. From the deep thought we put into our academic program through the innovative work we’ve put into a groundbreaking social-emotional experience for students, our goal of being a Haven is woven through all tenets of our program.
Core Practices
| Core Practices | Length of Use |
|---|---|
|
Mental Health Services |
5+ years
|
|
Restorative Practices |
5+ years
|
|
SEL Integration School-wide |
5+ years
|
|
Trauma-informed Practices |
5+ years
|
All Practices
Student Advisories
Anti-racist Practices
Assessments For Deeper Learning
Assessments For Social-emotional Skills
Blended Learning
Community And Workforce Partnerships
Family And Community Support Services
Culturally Responsive Practices
Disaggregated Data On Student Participation
Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles
All Courses Designed For Inclusion
Individual Learning Paths
1:1 Mentoring
Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics
Project-based Learning
Peer To Peer Support
Performance Based Assessment
SEL Curriculum
Student-led Conferences
Students Access Their Own Data
Student-led Goal Setting
Self-paced Learning
Students Develop Projects
Tutoring
Universal Design For Learning
key reasons for innovating
Address systemic inequities
Improve student mental health
Date Updated: 4/1/2025
*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.