About Catalyst

Catalyst Academy is one of twenty organizations celebrated for stepping up for underserved students during the pandemic Pittsburgh, Penn. - (December 1, 2021) - Catalyst Academy, a public charter school in Pittsburgh, was selected by the Center for Education Reform and its media partner, Forbes, as one of 20 semifinalists for the $1 Million STOP Award to recognize education providers who persevered through the pandemic and delivered for underserved students. The first-of-its-kind STOP Award highlights education providers that strive to offer education that is Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless. Catalyst Academy is the only semi-finalist from Pennsylvania, and was selected out [...]

Catalyst Academy Charter School is a college-preparatory K-8 public charter school in Pittsburgh, focused on serving families and communities that are looking for a great school and ultimately, a great education. A great education cultivates confident, compassionate scholars ready to define and achieve their dreams. Our mission is to create a world-class K-8 school where all children are prepared for college, career, and life. We opened in the fall of 2020, and we are growing a grade each year until we serve kindergarten through 8th grade. We have science and engineering, including computer science, 5 days a week, as well as [...]

At Catalyst Academy, we prepare our scholars to define, reach for, and achieve their dreams. How do we do this? By closing the achievement and opportunity gap. Our educational philosophy is that a child’s education should seek mastery along three dimensions: College Readiness All scholars will be prepared to attend and graduate from a four-year college or university.  Catalyst scholars will be prepared by achieving mastery of a broad, rigorous college-preparatory curriculum that both prepares and inspires. Career Readiness All scholars need to be equipped with the skills to thrive in the 21st century economy, including communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and [...]

How Catalyst Academy prepares children for college, career, and life If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we don’t know what the future holds. As a public school and supportive community, Catalyst Academy is ready to prepare our scholars for whatever the future may bring. We’ve thoughtfully laid out our mission, philosophy and educational model so that our scholars can define and achieve their dreams. At Catalyst Academy our mission is to create a world-class K-8 school where all children are prepared for college, career, and life. Our scholars are future doctors, engineers and roboticists. Our scholars are future artists, [...]

The start of school is right around the corner, so with a summer full of fun under our belts, we are gathering our teachers at Catalyst to prepare for the new academic year. In order to achieve our mission of creating a world-class K-8 school where all children are prepared for college, career, and life, we start with our teachers.  Every year, we train our teachers rigorously in methods of instruction, inclusive learning, and living our core values in a 4 week long teacher training camp before school starts. Life is all about learning, growing, and becoming a little better at [...]

“We connect our Catalyst families to resources that will better their lives forever.” Myra Powell has been working in community development for over 35 years. She had never thought of working at a school until she learned about Catalyst Academy Charter School and our focus on building community. Her heartfelt support and joy in life are so contagious that we decided to interview her so she could share her story with us in her own words.  What was it about Catalyst that inspired you to choose to work here? The leadership team here at Catalyst is outstanding and their work ethic [...]

The sun is out and so are we! At Catalyst Academy, we are having fun while school is out by preparing our next year’s programs and learning adventures.  Summer is a time filled with fun activities for all ages, and to inspire your family’s summer plans, we gathered a list of kid-centric resource hubs to give you great ideas of what to do with your little ones this month.  Kids Out and About Check out this great website with a bunch of ideas for your family, and start with their blog “Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around Pittsburgh”. [...]

Splashing paint around, singing songs with a group, acting out silly scenes - these all might seem like simple ways to relax and have fun, but there’s even more to it than that! Catalyst Academy Charter School’s (CAC) Art classes activate the right side of our scholars’ brains, which inspires new ideas and strengthens young academic minds.  In our sculpture class, we combine 3-d circles, triangles, and squares to find which combinations have the best structural integrity. Connecting this exercise to the architecture we see in our city always lights up the minds of our scholars. That bright curiosity shines through [...]

The benefits of Physical Education are undisputed – young bodies need to move to be healthy. At Catalyst Academy, we use PE class to teach our scholars that their bodies can grow and achieve right along with their brains. PE benefits students both physically and mentally – when students move their bodies, they focus their minds. Exercise has been shown to relieve anxiety and increase concentration, both of which help scholars achieve academically.  Active participation in PE class happens four times a week at Catalyst Academy. Students are having fun playing kickball, dancing, golfing, bowling, doing gymnastics and running relays, and [...]

For young children, anticipating the celebrations for milestones like birthdays or holidays, builds so much excitement they can barely contain their glee. But celebrations like that only come around once a year, and at Catalyst Academy, we have built a culture of frequent celebration so our scholars can feel the excitement of their growth and achievements on a regular basis. Belong. Grow. Achieve. Our core values of Belong. Grow. Achieve. are rewarded and celebrated every week. Our scholars receive the Dreamweaver Award when they demonstrate the value of belonging; for instance, a student who goes out of their way to welcome [...]