Holyoke High Opportunity Academy

Who We Are

Opportunity Academy (OA) offers a set of alternative high school pathways that allow students to continue or restart on a pathway to a diploma if they are not succeeding in a more traditional high school setting. Our students can earn high school credits, prepare to pass the MCAS, and graduate with a Holyoke Public Schools Diploma or state-granted diploma.

Our Students

We serve approximately 200 high school age students who are off-track—over-age under-credit, have previously dropped out or are at high risk of dropping out—who wish to complete their requirements for a high school diploma or Hi-Set. OA is a school of choice, and students and families always have a say in whether or not they enroll in one of our programs.

Our System

We use a "Primary Person" system, through which every OA student has an advisor who knows them deeply. The advisory uses case-conferencing and frequent outreach and check-ins to support the student in setting academic and social goals and then taking the right actions to meet those goals.

Our Approach

OA incorporates a competency-based education approach and project-based learning to provide rigorous, robust, and relevant learning experiences for our diverse learners. We believe it is critical for our instructional and school culture practices to adapt to the student rather than the student adapting to the model.