Haile-Manas Academy: a model school for Ethiopia

EEI’s flagship project is the Haile-Manas Academy (HMA). HMA is a ground-breaking first-of-its-kind, co-ed secondary boarding school for students of promise recruited from across Ethiopia, admitted without regard to financial circumstances to the extent possible. 

Through depth of inquiry, hands-on problem solving, and the sustained shared experiences that a residential setting allows, HMA provides an education that allows students to reach their highest potential as critical thinkers, enterprising young problem solvers, and purposeful, community-minded individuals.  

We expect HMA graduates to have significant impact on their communities—whether those communities are local, national or global.

HMA is a model school, and as such serves as a laboratory for innovative, data-driven systems that we intend to share and leverage to advance improvements in education more broadly. 

HMA is in Debre Birhan, approximately two hours from Addis Ababa. This central location aligns with our goal of recruiting students from every region of Ethiopia. Our beautiful eight-hectare campus boasts state-of-the-art classrooms and science laboratories, a dining hall and student center, a library, comfortable student dormitories and faculty residences, and extensive sports and recreational facilities.

HMA opened its doors to its pioneering class of ninth graders in January 2021, and this past September 2024 we enrolled our fifth class. At full enrollment, HMA will accommodate 100 students across each of the four grades, for a total of 400 students. 

Visit hmacademy.org to learn more.