
POWERful learners & leaders, committed & caring families … Welcome to the the second semester!
Key Resources for Students & Families:
Are YOU looking for a school where you can … Blaze your own path? Graduate ready for college and careers, leadership and life? Be yourself? Change the world? To learn more, visit our Become a Student page.
You can also use the links below to learn more about our school …
- Visit us & Apply
- How is Common Ground Different?
- Our Classes & Curriculum
- Every Student Leads: POWER
- Outside the Classroom: After-School Programs
- College Success
- Schedule & Calendar
- Are you an athlete? Scientist? Activist? Artist? Entrepreneur? Environmental Leader? Find out how CG can help you blaze your path.
Please reach out – we are here to help!
Main Number: 203.389.4333
Complete Teachers & Staff List
Main Office
- Iris Jimenez, Office Operations Manager, x1202, Email
- Monique Frasier, School Director, x1203 Email
- Dr. Shanequa Nash, Assistant School Director, Email
Click here for Student Health documents and information.
Click here for our School Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment Summary of Findings
Over the last ten years, more than 90% of Common Ground graduates have gained admissions to college. More than 90% of our students take college or career-ready courses while still in high school. In 2023-24, our students made big gains on the SAT. Common Ground was the state’s first U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School and a recipient of many awards and grants in recognition of our work, including the National Building Hope Award in 2022.

Common Ground’s curriculum combines rigorous high academic standards for all, responsive relationships with adults and peers who really care, relevant, real-world learning that’s rooted in the community and environment, and real roles and rights for students. Imagine studying …
- Math while you … decide what should be planted on Common Ground’s farm to maximize production, nutrition, taste, and cultural relevance.
- Science while you … turn what you are learning about climate change into beautiful paintings, spoken word, and graffiti art
- English while you … work with professional actors to write and perform plays about social justice issues that matter to you.
Recent Blog Posts about the High School
New Haven Independent: Oliver Barton Exits with Chickens
By: Melinda Tuhus Oliver Barton, director of Common Ground High School, has taught his students many lessons over the years, not the least of which is how to kill a chicken. The students who served as
New Haven Register: Students Bound for Inaugurl
By: Elizabeth Benton, Register Staff Just after 7:30 a.m. Monday, a little yellow school bus left Common Ground High School in New Haven, destined for Washington, D.C., with 11 students, three teachers and a photographer
New Haven Independent: Teacher Makes Math Real
By Allan Appel Maurice Smalls was having trouble understanding how to simplify a radical. Karen Climis made sure he wouldn’t leave class until he figured it out. If you haven’t simplified a radical recently, Climis’s