Breakthrough’s dual mission aims to bridge the college attainment gap for New Mexican students while also providing opportunities for high school and college-aged scholars to receive professional development in the field of education, ultimately contributing to a new generation of educators passionate about equity in schools. The educational transformation that our work supports creates a more vibrant, thriving community.

Our Program

• Breakthrough has a single entry point for students entering the 7th grade. To qualify for our program, students must meet at least 2 of these 5 need criteria associated with a risk of high school attrition:
  • Will be the first in their families to go to college
  • Low-income 
  • English language learner
  • Student of color
  • Student coming from a single parent household
• Our students and families are deeply committed to their own educational success–all of the participants in our program have committed to working with Breakthrough for 6 years by the time that they join.
• To prepare students for college admissions, we provide academically rigorous summer programs for 6 weeks in middle school and 1-2 weeks in high school, one-on-one school year tutoring and college counseling, and academic enrichment during the school year for all grades. We know that student success is not possible without parent buy-in, so we work closely with our parents as partners throughout their child’s journey to college. 

• If you would like to know more about our programming, please see our 6-year plan
• If you would like to set up a visit to our program, please contact Dieu Ho at dho@sfprep.org 
• If you or your child would like to apply to join Breakthrough Santa Fe, please see our online application portal.

• Academic Criteria:
  • To be accepted to Breakthrough, students must also demonstrate academic motivation and a desire to be a part of the program. We measure this by looking at the following:
    • Student Grades – most students accepted into our program are receiving A’s and B’s in their classes 
    • Teacher Recommendation – Teachers let us know if a student is focused and motivated in class 
    • Student short answer and essay responses – Students show us their passion for learning and their desire to join Breakthrough in their own writing 
• We also do ask parents to fill out a part of the application. The questions we ask parents help us get a sense of how the family will support a student on their journey to college. 

Please email ybermejo@sfprep.org if you have questions about these criteria.