By Brian Johnson
Staff writer

LAWRENCE -- Esperanza Academy, a tuition-free private middle school for girls set to open in 2006, announced Wednesday it will move to 35 Jackson St. in Lawrence.

The day school, a joint creation by Christ Church in Andover and Grace Church in Lawrence, will occupy two floors in the parish house at Grace Church. According to the Rev. Ennis Duffis, the pastor at Grace Church, the lease will not be finalized until April, but a letter of intent has been signed.

Duffis said locating the school on the churches' grounds reflected, "our interest as a church to outreach into the community."

"We have a long history of supporting education in Lawrence," he said.

According to a statement released by the school, Esperanza will renovate the property, which includes a gymnasium and kitchen. The school will add an elevator, new sprinklers, and mechanical and electrical systems.

Esperanza, which will open in September 2006, will house 40 girls in the first year, and add 20 students for the next two subsequent years. Duffis said unlike most private schools, which pick from the upper echelon of students, Esperanza will specifically reach out to children who are not performing well in school.

The school, which teaches girls from fifth grade through eighth grade, intends to follow the Nativity education model.

The Nativity Model was started in 1971 at the Nativity Mission Center, a middle school on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Typically, Nativity schools have smaller classroom sizes, extended days (including afternoon and evening study sessions), free tuition, and a faculty that is primarily volunteer based.

There are currently 43 Nativity schools in the country, according to the Nativity Network.

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