History and Mission

Two clergymen and a woman smiling together in a studio.

Our Founders

Founded in August 2003, by Fr. Tim Hogan, former pastor of St. Boniface parish in Louisville, Kentucky and by Fr. William Fichteman, former pastor of the Cathedral of the Assumption, and administered by Sr. Paula Kleine-Kracht OSU, Nativity Academy at St. Boniface was established as an independent private middle school in the Catholic tradition to educate urban youth.

Nativity Academy at St. Boniface is an independent, Catholic middle school that provides a foundation for a life without limits.

Nativity Academy seeks to impart to its students the highest spiritual ideals, moral values, knowledge, learning skills, discipline, character formation and personal care.

Through Catholic education we enrich and empower the mind, body, and spirit of students through middle school, high school, and beyond. Nativity Academy teaches formal religion classes within the faith-based tradition. All students participate in ecumenical and Catholic prayer services, but are not required to be, or become Catholic.

The staff is a mix of full-time teachers and 200 plus committed volunteers. They provide unwavering motivation and support, and encourage each student to realize his or her full human potential as a productive member of society, and as a leader and role model in family and community. Each student receives the opportunity for a private middle school education that will enable him or her to pursue an excellent secondary education leading to college, technical school, and a professional career.

Nativity Academy is a proud member of the NativityMiguel Coalition, which provides its member schools a proven approach of faith-based, private education. This Coalition is critical to our Academy by offering a viable and successful alternative model for traditional parochial schools in urban settings.

Since our inception, 82% of Nativity Academy graduates have enrolled in college or post-secondary education, and 97% of our students graduate from high school, maintaining the high standards of our fellow Coalition institutions and exceeding the national average. Our current Nativity Academy graduates are on their way to achieve or exceed this level of success. At Nativity, we SOAR - Strive, Overcome, Achieve, Respect

In Memory of our Founder - Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht

Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht

Sister Paula Kleine-Kracht, a founder of Nativity Academy at St. Boniface, was a “trailblazer in Catholic education.” Along with Father Tim Hogan and Father William Fichteman, in 2003 Sr. Paula co-founded Nativity Academy at St. Boniface as an independent, Catholic middle school in Louisville for children living in the Clarksdale housing project. She served as executive director of Nativity until 2011. Ursuline Sister of Louisville Paula Kleine-Kracht, 79, died in the 61st year of her religious life on October 31, 2025. Her dedication to the education of Nativity students, care for their families, and guidance for Nativity graduates, inspire us to honor her legacy.

Obituary for Sr.. Paula Kleine-Kracht, OSU

I wish to honor the legacy of Sr. Paula

A foundation for a life without limits

If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees.
If your plan is for 100 years, educate children. - Confucius

Nativity Academy at St. Boniface is an independent, Catholic middle school that provides a foundation for a life without limits. 2026 marks the 24th year for the mission driven school where students attend full scholarship.

At Nativity Academy, we are providing more than a school classroom. We invest in our students, graduates, and their families via an extended academic model that yields nearly a 100% graduation rate from high school. This is 40% higher than the national average for the same population.

Nativity Academy students:

attend traditional educational classes during the school day,
participate in after-school Extended Enrichment, and
benefit from our Graduate Support Program after graduating from 8th grade.

We encourage you to see firsthand - Nativity Academy at St. Boniface - a school where our students strive, overcome, achieve, and respect themselves and others. Please take a tour

and see how Nativity Academy supports and promotes students’ growth as persons of faith

with strong moral principles.

The residual impact of a well-educated child cannot be measured by a score or percentage as the impact of education extends far beyond the student and into the Louisville community for years to come. Nativity Academy depends on private donations, grants, and volunteers to cover the cost of tuition that provides students with a highly individualized education.

Since our students attend on full scholarship, our ability to provide this opportunity to children is solely dependent upon the continuing support of individuals, businesses, and philanthropic entities within our community. We ask for your continued support, and if you are not a current supporter, we hope you will become a part of the Nativity Academy family.