Founded in 1992 as Summerbridge Cambridge, Breakthrough Cambridge is the only year-round, tuition-free academic program in Cambridge, MA.

Serving mostly low-income students, Breakthrough Cambridge is a six-year program comprised of an academically intensive two-year middle school program and a high school support program that works with students until college matriculation.

Breakthrough Cambridge is 100% tuition free and features a three-to-one student to teacher ratio. We increase opportunities for students who need it most.

• 90% of our students are of color versus 65% district-wide
• 70% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch versus 47% district-wide
• 49% speak languages other than English at home versus 35% district-wide
• Breakthrough Cambridge students represent 10% of the Cambridge Public School District

Unique to Breakthrough Cambridge is its “students teaching students” model. Breakthrough Cambridge recruits a team of talented high school and college students to teach the classes and help to run the summer and school year programming.

An independent 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, Breakthrough Cambridge is part of a national educational movement called The Breakthrough Collaborative, which consists of 34 other sites throughout the country. Breakthrough Cambridge also benefits from a strong partnership with the Cambridge Public School District.