San Miguel High School (Tucson, Arizona)

San Miguel High School
Address
6601 South San Fernando Road, Barrio Nopal Tucson , Pima County , Arizona 85756 United States
Coordinates	32°7′55″N 110°58′24″W
Information
Type	Private, coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Patron saint(s)	Miguel Febres Cordero
Established	2004 (2004)
CEEB code	030602
President	David L. Mason
Principal	Ernesto Badilla
Staff	71
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	296 (2023-2024)
Average class size	20 13:1 student teacher ratio
Color(s)	Red and gold
Athletics	Arizona Interscholastic Association 2A
Mascot	Viper
Accreditation	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Affiliation	Catholic, Lasallian Cristo Rey Network
Website	www.sanmiguelcristorey.org

San Miguel High School is a private Catholic and Lasallian college and college preparatory school located on the south side of Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is a member of the Cristo Rey Network of work-study schools.

History

San Miguel High School opened in 2004 to assist capable students from families of limited means to prepare for college. It follows the Cristo Rey work-study model, whereby students work in businesses five days a month to earn 40% of their tuition. In its first nine years, the school had 492 graduates, all of whom were admitted to college. Current enrollment is 296, with 71 on the staff. About 97% of the students are Hispanic.

Academics

A total of 24 credits are required for graduation, as is participation in the Corporate Internship program. Four credits are required in English, mathematics, religious studies, and science; three in foreign language and social studies; and one in visual/performing arts and in academic skills/literacy.

Corporate partners

There are currently over 100 corporate partners that employ San Miguel students as part of the national Cristo Rey Network Corporate Work Study program. Videos are available on various aspects of the San Miguel experience.

Student activities

All students make a daylong retreat in each of the first three years and in the senior year a three-day Kairos retreat. The school also offers a five-day border immersion program, El Otro Lado, for students and staff to become informed and to strengthen their Christian perspective on the US-Mexican border problem. Athletics:

• Women's
  • Cheer
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Volleyball
• Men's
  • Baseball
  • Volleyball
  • Basketball
  • Soccer

Clubs:

• Rocketry
• Robotics
• Student Government (Freshman Council, Sophomore Council, Junior Council, Senior Council, and Executive Council)
• El Otro Lado
• Yearbook
• School Choir
• Ambassadors
• Honor Societies (National Spanish Society, National English Society, and National Honors Society)
• Environmental Club
• Bahay Pag-asa
• Racing The Sun
• Baking
• KINO Teens
• Aquaponics
• Lasallian Youth
• Liturgy Choir
• Student Ambassadors Program

Additional school facts

• 42% of families in the area earn less than $25,000 per year
• half of the adults in the area do not have a high school education
• 80% of students qualify for free lunch.
• 80% of students are the first in their families to go to college.
• 63% of students attend a four-year university or college.
• 72% of San Miguel graduates have either graduated from college or are persisting in college, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Report 2015.

Further reading

• Kearney, G. R. More Than a Dream: The Cristo Rey Story: How One School's Vision Is Changing the World. Chicago, Ill: Loyola Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-82-942576-5

External links

• Partners - Cristo Rey Network
• "Fr. John P. Foley honored with Presidential Citizen's Medal"
• Boston Globe - "With sense of purpose, students cut class for a day"
• Cristo Rey featured in Washington Post column by George Will
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - "Success of Innovative Urban Catholic School Sparks Major Investment"