Our Program
ATA admits students in 5th grade and commits to supporting them and their families for 11+ years on their journey to and through the nation’s best high schools and colleges.
5th to 8th Grade
The structure of ATA’s middle school programming is engaging, supportive, and challenging in order to prepare our students to meet and exceed the demands of the nation’s top high schools.
During their middle school years, each student participates in six weeks of academically rigorous schooling every summer from the summer after 5th grade to the summer before 9th grade. This sets them up to excel during the school year and prepares them to thrive in high school and college.
Throughout middle school, each student attends two days per week of rigorous, after school academic programming during the school year. Students are taught content to supplement their middle school coursework, including advanced Math, Coding, English Seminar, Writing, and Leadership Development.
Students are paired with a mentor who is deeply invested in their success through middle school, high school, college, and into a passion-filled career. Mentors advocate for students as they learn to navigate the academic and professional world.
Students take field trips to museums, performances, sports games, colleges, and high schools to explore a range of new experiences and open their eyes to the variety of opportunities available to them. They also participate in hands-on learning activities such as robotics, entrepreneurship, activism, law, and medicine to gain exposure to passions and interests they may want to explore.
Students receive counseling, guidance, and support at each stage of the high school admissions process. This includes preparation for entrance exams, support on writing admissions essays, and obtaining scholarships and financial aid. Our role is to guide students and families in selecting a school that will be a great fit for them.
ATA provides students with personalized supplemental tutoring both one-on-one and in small groups to help them master challenging content and provide additional opportunities for advancement.
9th Grade and Beyond
As students enter high school and college, ATA continues to provide students with a range of support to ensure they are able to thrive and grow as leaders in their new school environments.
ATA staff members remain in close contact with students through consistent communication and site visits to their new schools. ATA helps students access resources at their high school and college while guiding them to become their own advocates as they navigate their secondary school and college journey.
ATA exposes students to a variety of career paths and enrichment opportunities to demonstrate the breadth of what their future can hold. We help them find summer internships or opportunities that align with their career goals and curiosities, equipping them with the tools to be successful interns.
The ATA team works with students and families to advise on best fit colleges and universities. We also host overnight college trips that give our predominantly first-generation college population and their families exposure to various archetypes of colleges with which to better assess fit.
ATA supports students in preparing for college entrance exams, crafting compelling admissions essays, and in navigating the financial aid or scholarship landscapes.
5th Grade and Beyond
Throughout the program, ATA works in partnership with industry leaders to support students in discovering their career interests and developing the skills and networks needed to achieve their dreams.
The ATA team leads field trips and events to expose Middle School students to different fields and careers.
ATA partners with industry leaders in financial services, law, medicine, technology, and more to further high school and college students’ knowledge of and networks within these industries and specific companies.
Independently and in partnership with industry experts, ATA conducts workshops and courses for students to strengthen the technical and soft skills necessary for career success.
ATA maintains industry partnerships and provides robust resume and interview skill development services to help students secure career-building opportunities throughout high school, college, and beyond.
This is what education is supposed to be — something that transcends the four walls of a classroom, that makes you see the world from a different perspective, that forces you to grapple with life’s unanswerable questions, and that takes hold of your imagination, igniting intellectual curiosity and genuine engagement. This is how we make a difference.
—Annie Weinberg, Founder and Head
