Newport Harbor Educational Foundation

The mission of the Newport Harbor Educational Foundation (NHEF) is to promote academic excellence and enhance educational opportunities for all students at  Newport Harbor High School and Ensign Intermediate School.  Funds we raise provide programs at both schools that enhance educational opportunities as defined by the acronym "CLASS": C for Computers and Classroom Technology, L for Learning Assistance, A for Academic Enhancement, S for Safe School Environment and S for Success After High School.

The Newport Harbor Educational Foundation was founded in 1995 by Newport Harbor High School Navigators, a group of fathers dedicated to improving the quality of education at Newport Harbor High School. When the group discovered that students at the school were still using typewriters and had no access to computers on campus they recognized a need and raised funds to implement a computer lab.  Hence the NHEF was born. The foundation's original five directors were Tim Hogan, Tom Hogan, John Polovina, Rick Robinson and Bob Steel. With tremendous generosity from parent donors, alumni and the community, Newport Harbor Educational Foundation continues to serve its mission to support academic excellence and enhance educational opportunities for all Newport Harbor High and Ensign Intermediate School students. Since 1995 Newport Harbor Educational Foundation has raised over $19 million and expanded its programs to serve and empower all students by implementing C.L.A.S.S. :  Computers and Classroom Technology, Learning Assistance, Academic Enhancement, Safe School Environment, Success After High School.

Past and current successes:  NHEF provides funding for LEARNING ASSISTANCE for students at all academic levels ranging from remedial to honors, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate curriculum. Free morning, after school and evening tutoring (Math Lab) is provided for all students in core subjects. The AVID program (Advancement Via Individual Determination) raises the academic achievement of all students and is dedicated to closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and post secondary opportunities.  The program is available to all Newport Harbor students.  100% of AVID students are accepted to a four-year institution and most enroll and attend.  If finances are challenging, they attend a two-year college and transfer to a four-year school. ACADEMIC ENHANCEMENT ensures that rigorous Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs continue to offer new courses for students by providing teachers with the training conferences necessary to implement and improve these programs. The NHEF impacts A SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT by funding Link Crew, a mentor program for every freshman during the entire 9th grade year. Upper classmen volunteer to be mentors to our freshmen and are taught Link Crew curriculum. Each mentor is responsible to connect with 10 freshmen and stay in touch all school year, ensuring that each freshman is welcomed, adjusting to high school, and has a friend on campus. Newport Harbor High School's unique career exploration program with professional mentors and the award winning culinary arts and business entrepreneurship vocational programs are just some of the successful programs we support designed to ensure SUCCESS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.

In each school year, NHEF invests $550,000 in these most pressing needs of Newport Harbor High School: Academic support and learning assistance, free tutoring, Math Lab, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), professional development for faculty, International Baccalaureate curriculum, Advanced Placement curriculum, extra counseling support, drama production support, instructional technology, science field study trips, and a safe school environment. NHEF invests approximately $88,000 into similar needs at Ensign Intermediate School via the Ensign Fund during each school year. 

Newport Harbor Educational Foundations serves students from Newport Harbor High School and Ensign Intermediate School.  60% of the students reside in Costa Mesa and 40% reside in Newport Beach, California.  The Newport Mesa Unified School District defines the geographic area students may attend and a detailed map is available at  web.nmusd.us/schoolboundarymaps.

Ensign Intermediate School and Newport Harbor High School are truly unique in Orange County in that the school population is comprised of students on both extremes of the socio-economic spectrum.  36% of our students (860) qualify for the free and reduced meal program and 238 of these students are English Language Learners. These students are particularly vulnerable to the cycle of illiteracy and poverty.  Our organization's mission is to provide all students with opportunities for academic excellence and educational opportunity.  In order to achieve this goal we need to fund a broad spectrum of programs that meet the diverse needs of our student body, ranging from rigorous curriculum of International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement to AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a highly effective college prep program as well as free tutoring for all students in all subjects. The opportunity is that our diversity creates a sense of community and makes our team of voluteers work harder to fill a true need and make our school and community a better place.  At the same time our diversity creates a challenge since we need to provide enough funding and support to successfully implement and maintain a wide range of programs.  We look forward to meeting the challenges and opportunities and providing our students with the tools they need to be successful after high school. - Diana Long, Executive Director