Math and Science Academy held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new building that will host grades six through 12. Photo: Zephyr Lynn
Math and Science Academy expands to accommodate current and incoming students.
Since it opened in 1999, Woodbury’s Math and Science Academy (MSA), a charter school focusing on math and science curriculum, has seen long wait lists. “We’ve always been a really popular school, and we’ve been working on expansion in one form or another since we opened,” says Kate Hinton, MSA’s executive director.
Those plans have been postponed for various reasons, including COVID-19, but an expanded campus and offerings for MSA are finally coming to fruition. “In 2022, we started working on these plans,” Hinton says. “We expect to be approved to add grades and will open to elementary students in the fall of 2026.”
MSA currently serves grades six through 12, with instruction happening in four buildings (two owned and two leased). The expansion project will add a 125,000-square-foot building for middle and high school; if approved, the newly added grades, kindergarten through fifth, will have their classroom space in the two existing buildings that MSA owns.
A rendering of the new Math and Science Academy building. Photo: Math and Science Academy
“We’re also planning on adding outdoor athletic facilities,” Hinton says. A new soccer field and track will accommodate the more than 100 students who participate in track and field, cross-country and soccer alone, making practice sessions and meets much more convenient. Track currently practices in the parking lot, and soccer players must participate in a co-op with other schools. “That brings up some equity issues because kids have to go to another location for soccer after school,” Hinton says. “We’re really excited to be able to house those programs on site so we can involve a lot more students.”
Hinton also notes that students—and their families—are looking forward to a culinary change: the capacity to serve school lunch. “Right now, everyone has to bring their lunch,” Hinton says. “And even though they bring beautiful lunches, I think a lot of parents will be happy not to have to do that every day,” she says. “The remodel at our current site will include adding a kitchen space for food service.”
In total, the expansion will allow for 450 elementary schoolers and 1,500 secondary students, roughly doubling the current enrollment of sixth through 12th graders. “As of right now, we have 887 students on our interest list,” Hinton says. “We weren’t sure demand was going to be that high, but our families have been very excited about the prospect of starting at MSA beginning in kindergarten.”
Enrollment is organized equitably through a lottery system before the beginning of each school year. “Some people think that we accept students based on their academic history and test scores, but that’s not the case at all,” Hinton says. “It’s simply the lottery. Students come in at all ability levels, and by the time they graduate, there are virtually no achievement gaps.”
MSA’s expansion will ensure more Woodbury and area students can find their best-fit school. “Parents really like the idea that there’s a rigor, and we spend time making sure that every student succeeds,” Hinton says.
Math and Science Academy
8430 Woodbury Crossing; 651.578.7507
Facebook: Math and Science Academy
Instagram: @mmsa_mustangs
