History
1988
Josephine "Jodie" B. Moore begins work
with at-risk youth who name their after-school athletics and Bible study the "Larimer Avenue Youth Club"
1992
Jodie and The Reverend Thomas "Tom" E. Johnson, Jr. meet
at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
2001
The Neighborhood Academy opens
in a renovated warehouse at Champion Commons on Penn Avenue
2005
First TNA graduating class
Catherine Moore, Angela Fowler, Jana'a Washington, and Candycia Thompson.
2007
5-year Accreditation is earned
from the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS)
2009
First TNA college graduates
A monumental milestone and a testament to the strength of our community and mission.
2010
Construction begins on new campus
nestled in the hills of Stanton Heights at 709 North Aiken Avenue.
2011
TNA moves into new campus
This pivotal step marked the transition from borrowed space to a purpose-built home, designed to fully support the school’s mission of breaking the cycle of generational poverty through education.
2011
John Douglas, Jr.
Serves as Interim TNA President
2014
Enrollment reaches 100 students
10-year PAIS accreditation is earned. This state-facilitated accreditation ensures that member schools are not only rooted in best practices, but are deemed safe, equitable, and deliver high quality education.
2016
Mark Kurtzrock
named TNA President
2017
TNA's Middle School for Boys opens
The decision to admit boys at an earlier age placed the young men on a path to successful careers both in college and the workforce
2018
Gary Niels
named TNA President
2019
Anthony P. Williams, Ed.D.
named TNA Head of School; Enrollment reaches 150+
2020
COVID-19 Global Pandemic
results in virtual learning
2023
TNA's Middle School for Girls opens
in response to Pittsburgh’s Gender and Equity Commission’s “Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender & Race” report released in 2019. This report revealed severe local inequalities, confirming previous studies finding that Pittsburgh Black women and girls especially experience systemic oppression in terms of health, education, poverty, and employment.
2024
PAIS 10-year accreditation is earned
This state-facilitated accreditation ensures that member schools are not only rooted in best practices, but are deemed safe, equitable, and deliver high quality education. Through this rigorous but vital year-long process, The Neighborhood Academy proved that we meet and maintain the PAIS’s 26 essential standards of excellence.
2025-2026
Opening anticipated
for TNA's Middle School for Girls, Innovative Wing, and Learning Resource Center; Enrollment expected to reach 200+
The Neighborhood Academy was founded in 2001 serving 8th and 9th grade students from under-served communities to provide them with the educational, spiritual, and emotional resources to succeed. The year-round school was established based on a feasibility study funded by the R.K. Mellon Foundation, and opened its doors in a renovated warehouse on Penn Avenue.
Over the next few years, the new school began to thrive, and in 2005, the first class of The Neighborhood Academy graduated with a 100% college acceptance rate, which is a feat that stands to this day. In 2007, five-year accreditation was earned from the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS), and the school began plans for a new facility. Construction began in the summer of 2010. The Neighborhood Academy moved to its current campus on North Aiken Avenue in 2011.
In 2014, The Neighborhood Academy achieved 10-year accreditation from PAIS. The success of the school led to thoughts of expansion. A feasibility study was undertaken to investigate the possibility of adding the 6th and 7th grades. In 2017, The Neighborhood Academy opened its middle school program, and began to admit 6th & 7th grade students.
The belief that immersing young students in year-round, caring environments with high expectations can lead to successful lives is a model that The Neighborhood Academy has followed, and will continue to use in its work with under-served youth.
any text here
Our Founders:
Josephine B. Moore and The Rev. Thomas E. Johnson, Jr. founded The Neighborhood Academy after years of working with adolescents from at-risk communities. Both Tom and Jodie understood the effects of poverty on the mental and emotional development on youth.
Together, they founded and ran a successful summer school for at-risk teens. By the mid-90’s, they began to discuss the possibility of a full-time school. Jodie started and led the Larimer Avenue Youth Club for inner-city youth, which was supported by five East End churches. As a board member, teacher, and coach for ten years at his alma mater, Shady Side Academy, Tom honed the skills and garnered the experience necessary to advance The Neighborhood Academy. Almost twenty years later, their dream has become a thriving, successful institution serving middle school and high school students.
Remembering The Reverend Thomas E. Johnson Jr.
The Reverend Thomas Edward Johnson, Jr. was born on May 4, 1955 and died peacefully on Saturday April 13, 2024.
A Letter from our Head of School on Reverend Tom's Passing
For 18 years, Rev. Johnson sat at the helm of The Neighborhood Academy, leading our school through both our darkest nights, and our most exemplary achievements. We would not have the ability to educate some of Pittsburgh’s most talented and deserving youth if it was not for his exceptional leadership.