University Park Campus School

The School with a Promise

For my MAT year, I had the privilege of working in University Park Campus School, a small 7-12 public neighborhood school in Main South. The school has an enrollment of 224 students, with a student to teacher ratio of 10.8 to 1.

For the 2022-2023 school year, roughly 55.4% of the student body is Hispanic, 14.3% Asian, 13.4% African American, 12.9% White, and 4% of a mixed race, not Hispanic. 70.5% of the student’s first language was not English, and 19.2% are considered English Language Learners. 74.6% are considered low-income, while 82.6% are considered high needs.

UPCS pushes every student to work hard with rigorous curriculum and courses. UPCS does not do tracking, so classes are homogenous. Students are expected to rise to the occasion and hold their peers accountable to meet the challenges. There are many opportunities for students to receive additional help if needed through after school and summer programs. UPCS also has a strong connection with Clark University, which helped in its creation in 1997.

I had the privilege to observe Kyle Pahigian’s geometry class during the 2019-2022 school year before the pandemic struck and volunteer for her Geometry Club for extra help. I was already familiar with the school and the standards at which students were held to, so coming to UPCS as an MAT felt like a perfect fit and has proven to be such ever since.

A front view of my school this past year, University Park Campus School!