Mater Academy is a non-profit

charter management organization A charter management organization (CMO) is an educational organization that operates charter schools in the United States. Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of the local government school district. A CMO contracts with ...

based in Florida. They have a network of 49 schools in Florida and Nevada. Mater partners with Academica, a

for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

education management organization An education management organization (EMO) is a term of art describing a for-profit entity that manages schools. It provides a distinction from charter management organization which is a ''non-profit'' manager of charter schools. The terms are oft ...

Origins

In 1968, the Sacred Heart Sister Mother Margarita Miranda-Otero began ''Centro Mater'' as a childcare facility in

Little Havana Little Havana () is a Neighborhoods in Miami, neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the Capital (political), ...

, a poor immigrant neighborhood of

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. Translated from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, it means "Mother Center". It was successful and flourished. As a teenager, Fernando Zulueta had volunteered at Centro Mater and understood their situation. In 1996, the Florida Legislature authorized

charter schools A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

as part of the state's K-12 public education system. One year after starting the Somerset Academy in

Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721, making it the fourth-largest city in Broward County, the sixth-largest cit ...

, and inspired by his experience at Centro Mater, Zulueta founded the nonprofit Mater Academy. The following year, Zulueta incorporated the

for-profit education For-profit education (also known as the education services industry or proprietary education) refers to educational institutions operated by private, Profit (economics), profit-seeking businesses. For-profit education is common in many parts of the ...

school management company Academica. Mater Academy was successful and spread its footprint across

Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in Miami-Da ...

. There were 14 Mater Academy schools in 2010, with over 6,300 students. Enrollment increased to 13,380 in 2015.

Operations

There were twenty-three employees of Mater Academy Inc making six figure salaries in 2020.

Awards & Rankings

Mater Academy Charter High School in

Hialeah Gardens, Florida Hialeah Gardens is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 23,068 at the 2020 US census, up from 21,744 in 2010. The population density is mostly ...

won a silver medal award from '' U.S. News & World Report'' in 2008 and 2009. They were also ranked the 41st best high school in Florida for 2021. Mater Performing Arts and Entertainment Academy in

was ranked the 31st best high school in Florida for 2021. Mater Academy East Charter High School in Miami was ranked the 32nd best high school in Florida for 2021. Mater Academy Lakes High School in

was ranked the 62nd best high school in Florida for 2021. Sports Leadership of Miami Charter High School in

(formerly Sports Leadership and Management/SLAM) was ranked the 486th best high school in Florida for 2021.

References

External links

Mater Academy Schools
Charter schools in the United States Charter management organizations {{US-edu-stub