The Sanford I. Weill Academy of Excellence Award was established on the occasion of Mr. Weill’s 80th birthday. Mr. Weill, a distinguished banker and financier, founded NAF in 1982 and the organization has grown to over 700 academies in 39 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.
NAF’s educational design ignites students’ passion for learning and gives businesses the opportunity to shape America’s future workforce by transforming the learning environment to include STEM infused industry-specific curricula and work-based learning experiences, including internships. Since 1982, NAF has been partnering with existing high schools in high-need communities to enhance school systems at a low cost by implementing NAF academies – small learning communities within traditional high schools.
NAF has grown from one NAF Academy of Finance in New York City to hundreds of academies across the country focusing on growing industries including: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. During the 2015-16 school year nearly 89,000 students attended 716 NAF academies across 36 states, including DC and the US Virgin Islands. In 2015, NAF academies reported 98% of seniors graduated with 92% of graduates planned to go to college.
Porterville Unified School District currently has over 14,000 enrolled students within a boundary area covering nearly 3,000 square miles. PUSD has 10 “Open Choice” Pathways on its five high school campuses, including the Academy of Engineering. The Pathways program has helped increase graduation rates within the district with PUSD graduating 87.0% of its students in the latest figures released by the California Department of Education (2014-15 school year). Harmony Magnet Academy graduated 99.1% of its students for the 2014-15 school year.