Across the country, single-gender all-girl schools have a negative reputation. While these institutions pride themselves on empowering young women, they are often accompanied by negative perceptions. From football games and pep rallies, to the coveted “hallway crush”, some of the most common complaints against all-girls schools surround their inability to offer the regular “high school experience”. 

However, for students and teachers at the Young Women’s STEAM Research and Preparatory Academy, YWA, a 6-12th-grade single-gender campus located in the border town of El Paso, Texas, the school offers a unique and unparalleled culture. Students and teachers say that while the experience provided at the school is different, it is just as valuable. 

Naomi Conner, the College Success Advisor for the academy, says that she sees students grow and thrive as they progress from middle to high school. 

“People who would normally not have a voice have a voice,” Conner told the News in an interview. “They come in as shy sixth graders, they’ve been exposed to all kinds of things, at a co-ed school… At first, they don’t realize they have a voice, and then all of a sudden, you see them just like, thrive and become who they’re supposed to be.”

Conner is not alone in her beliefs about the school’s culture. In fact, research shows that all-girls schools empower future young women to be confident not only in their ambitions but also in their abilities in a way that co-ed schools sometimes cannot. 

According to The International Coalition of Girls’ Schools, students at all-girls schools aren’t limited by stereotypes or preconceived notions of what their roles should be. The coalition also outlines how single gender schools provide a judgment-free environment that fosters respect for different cultures and backgrounds. Other studies have found that single-gender campuses increase political participation and civic engagement in young women. 

Aina Marzia, a 2024 graduate of the Young Women’s STEAM Academy and current sophomore at Princeton University, told the News that campus empowered her voice as an anthropology major.

 “I definitely feel like the environment at YWA gave me the ability to have a voice and understand that I would be heard. The wonderful teachers at the campus always make space for emotions, empathy and understanding.”

As a 6-12th school, one of the most common reasons students leave campus before high school is their desire to have the “normal” high school experience that they see so often in pop culture and media. However, all-girls schools continue high school traditions. From sequined senior jeans to spirited volleyball homecoming games: the major hallmarks of high school continue at YWA. 

Conner says that the experience provided at YWA works to do more than just offer a fun time while students attend the school, but to set them up for success later on in their lives. 

“We’re focused on girl-centered education, and the opportunities are for girls,” Conner told the News. “So what people think is like the fun.  Guess who? You get it, but then you get something even more, because it’s like around what girls need for education to thrive.” 

Students also say that the experience at YWA is something that is catered to them in a way they hadn’t experienced at their previous co-ed schools. Ayleen Ali, a new sixth-grader on the campus, says that in just three weeks she has felt like she can accomplish things that have been previously difficult for her. 

“I’ve struggled with math a little bit in elementary school,” Ali told the News in an interview. “Here, it feels like every teacher is really, really trying to be there for you. It’s more than just understanding, like they know that sometimes improvement comes from breaks. I really love it here. I hope I can stay for high school,” she says. 

Another one of the most common complaints about single gender campuses is that they isolate students from other boys. At the YWA campuses, boys aren’t an anomaly for students; they’re just decentered from studies. 

“I feel like I can talk here and participate. It’s cool to be smart, and there aren’t like laughs from people if I say or do something wrong. Participating is more important than being right,” says Ali.

This environment also creates a unique sisterhood amongst students. At YWA, competition is not the goal; it is the realization that each person has a different journey and each one is important. The bonds and the future social skills that are learnt here are carried throughout the rest of the students’ lives. 

“The [students] that stay with us as they grow and get older and understand what sisterhood really is like. Around sophomore, junior, and senior years is when it connects to them, and they realize the importance of it. They realize that the competition is not there, and they only strengthen each other,” says Conner. 

This community also applies to teachers. For Marzia, a student who chose to leave El Paso to pursue higher education, the educators at YWA still serve as a community. 

“My English teacher, Ms. Guerrero, was one of the first teachers I’ve had who truly believed that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. This belief that your educators have in you not only empowers you but lets you know that there will be a community for you in El Paso even beyond high school,” she says. 

The community built at this Frontera  (border) school, which was established less than 9 years ago, resonates with students for years after they leave YWA. The beautiful connections students form with each other, their educators, and their perception of their studies make YWA a special place for young women across the border town and now beyond.

This article was written for the Yale Daily News’ 2025 Summer Journalism Program for high school students.