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Your family belongs at PROUD Academy

A Safe & Welcoming Home for Every Family

It’s a simple notion: Young people should be able to receive a quality education in a compassionate, safe, and affirming school.

Yet every day, we hear from parents just like you that their children are struggling at school simply because of who they are.

PROUD Academy is a one-of-a-kind, much-needed, truly inclusive school with the needs and interests of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning (LGBTQ+) youth and their allies in the mind, heart, and soul of our learning community.

Curious how your child will shine at PROUD Academy?

Learn More About PROUD

Inclusive Curriculum

We’re committed to addressing the personal development of students, including their physical, emotional, and social development.

Our engaging and diverse curriculum, which includes the LGBTQ+ History Unerased curriculum developed by queer educator, Deb Fowler, and the race-focused Self-Evident Education program, aims to prepare students to excel in school and in life – as lifelong learners, responsible citizens, and effective leaders within their communities.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

We are proud to have the potential to start PROUD Academy in our formative years at The Boys & Girls Club in Ansonia. The building is a secure facility equipped with a modern security system including cameras, alarms, and buzz-in entry. 

The location occupies a beautiful 32,000 square-foot facility equipped with a full-size gymnasium, an outdoor recreation area, spacious classrooms, and a warm, inviting atmosphere that will complement our inclusive curriculum.

Afterschool Programming

We are pleased to offer PROUD Academy students opportunities to engage in after school programs. In partnership with students, parents, and teachers, we are considering exploring:

  • Yoga and Mindfulness Classes
  • Peer Mediation Training
  • Youth Stonewall Speaker Training
  • Art Classes
  • Musical Theater Programs/ Drama
Learn More About Our Curriculum

Get Involved

To make our dream of opening New England’s first school geared for LGBTQ+ youth and their allies a reality – we need your help!

Donate or Volunteer Today

"PROUD Academy is needed for our children. I took my child, who identifies as transgender/genderqueer, to the PROUD Academy Open House and I saw them come alive. They were in their element. They felt safe. They felt accepted. They felt confident. To see a place where they could feel so much themselves and so loved for exactly who they are was the most incredible experience."

– Rebecca, Parent –

"It will give students an extra feeling of security; freedom to be themselves, freedom of self-expression."

– Tarin, Student –

"It's so important for individuals and children to have PROUD Academy - to have a school that is always going to accept, never have to judge. It's all full of love. Everybody should have love in their heart and having a school like that would be absolutely amazng for our children. I would like my child to be able to go to a school where there's no judgement."

– Cassie, Parent –

"I get made fun of for being queer, I get made fun of for being trans at school. A school that is made for people like me and made for a community that's not always treated correctly is an amazing thing. It makes a community. It makes a family."

– Ollie, Student–

"I want to go to PROUD Academy because I'll be able to talk to more kids that are queer and will be more accepting of me. It would be a really cool experience."

– Ryen, Student –

"With a name like PROUD Academy - you're going to be PROUD to be there! It's going to be a safe and open space with open arms, ready to hug anybody who needs it, and there will be help around every corner."

– Kai Shappley, Student –

Supporting Your Family
Every Step of the Way

We’re here to help support your whole family on your journey at PROUD Academy.

Our safe, holistic services bring together your family, community-based partners, natural support systems, and academic personnel to develop a plan of support that is unique to your family’s specific needs.

Have questions about PROUD Academy?

Check out our FAQs!

Ready to Enroll?

We are accepting applications for middle school students.

Let Us Know You're Interested

PROUD News

CT’s first LGBTQ+ school hopes to open soon

ANSONIA, CT (WFSB) – It would be the first of its kind in New England. Ansonia’s Proud Academy is slated to be the first LGBTQ+ school where everyone is welcomed.  They have the building and the teachers; they just need enough students to open. “Growing up I was always

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Conn.’s first school for LGBTQ+ students coming to New Haven

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Connecticut’s first school created specifically for LGBTQ+ students is opening in New Haven. It’s called the PROUD Academy, founded by former teacher and principal Patricia Nicolari. She wanted to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies to learn without being bullied for how

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Schools for LGBTQ+ students aim to create ‘safe space’

A new type of school is emerging and attracting lots of attention recently: Schools specifically designed for students who identify as LGBTQ+. Inside this century-old building, a new school is taking shape. “Proud Academy will be Connecticut, and actually New England’s first school for LGBTQ youth and their allies,”

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PROUD Academy to open in Ansonia

The doors will soon open at PROUD Academy in Ansonia. The LGBTQ+ middle school will operate out of The Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. “It gives us a start, it is turn key, ready to go,” PROUD Academy Founder Patty Nicolari said. Nicolari has about

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First LGBTQ+ school set to open Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — “Sometimes we want to create what we didn’t have. And so that’s what I’m doing,” said Patrica, “Patty” Nicolari. Nicolari spent years inside the Ansonia school district as an educator and school principal. Beyond her passion for education is the desire to provide a safe space. It’s

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