PROVIDING A PRIVATE, AFFORDABLE, CHRISTIAN EDUCATION TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF NORTH TYLER
MISSION
Promise Academy cultivates wise, creative, and compassionate leaders through exemplary Christ-centered education in North Tyler for the joy of our city and the glory of God.
VISION
Promise Academy joins families to nurture kingdom-minded citizens who work for justice, economic opportunity, ethnic harmony, hope for the family and joy in their communities.
STORY
When Promise Academy was founded in 2015, Tyler’s six low-performing schools were all north of Front Street and only a quarter of college-bound graduates from the North Tyler high school was considered “college-ready” based on testing scores. The abundance of private schools in Tyler were all south of Front Street, and most of them south of Loop 323. Even if these schools were more geographically accessible, the financial chasm between already reduced tuition and the financial reality of families was often impassable.
For decades, Christians in North Tyler prayed for a Christian school in their neighborhood. While many barriers left the dream long unrealized, God, our Great Provider, made a way. Promise Founder and Head of School, Sarah Cumming, began her teaching career in 2003 at schools very different from what Promise would become. In 2006, her husband’s work moved them from East Texas to New York City. While there, Sarah taught at a Christian school located in an underserved neighborhood near Harlem. Six years later, Sarah returned to Tyler with a new vision: a dream for Christian education in North Tyler, serving families for whom the opportunity was desperately needed but historically inaccessible.
Sarah shared her dream, and God fanned the flames. Essential relationships including local Christian schools and a North Tyler church, New Days Community, came alongside, providing experience, resources and connections. Along with those organizations, several pioneer families joined the effort and in this creative, God-breathed collaboration, Promise Academy was born.
From small beginnings – 12 Kindergarteners and 2 part-time teachers – Promise Academy blossomed, growing into 60 K-5th grade students in only five years. Today, Promise Academy serves almost 90 students and their families and has expanded to include a kindergarten readiness program.
