Zoe Robinson Academy
A primary school serving children in Monrovia, Liberia
A school day begins at the Zoe Robinson Academy
Zoe Robinson Academy is a co-educational primary school serving students from Kindergarten (K1-K2) through 6th grade in the Congo Town community. The school provides daily instruction, meals, and care for students whose families are committed to education despite significant economic pressure.
Today, the academy serves 104 students in a newly renovated, fully staffed school environment that is bright, safe, and designed to support consistent learning throughout the school day.
The community this school serves
The academy serves families in the surrounding area, providing consistent schooling where many children otherwise go without it.
The surrounding community is home to many families who survive on daily earnings from street vending, day labor, or bartering. Income is unpredictable, and households often depend on what can be earned that same day.
For children in the community, attending school consistently is not automatic. Each school day depends on a parent or caregiver deciding to send a child to class instead of keeping them home to help earn money or manage household work.
Families who enroll their children at Zoe Robinson Academy are making a clear commitment to education under difficult conditions. The school provides a stable, predictable place where children can arrive each day knowing there will be structure, supervision, and learning.
Within this context, the academy functions as a reliable institution in the neighborhood — open every school day, staffed consistently, and focused on instruction rather than interruption.
Students and Classrooms
Students attend daily classes led by trained certified teachers in structured classroom settings.
Zoe Robinson Academy serves students from Kindergarten 1 through 6th grade. Classes follow a regular school schedule, with certified teachers present every day and students expected to attend consistently.
Instruction follows Liberia’s national curriculum, which covers English, mathematics, general science, and social studies.
For students, the school day is predictable. They arrive knowing where to sit, what is expected, and how the day will unfold. This consistency supports learning for children whose lives outside school are often unpredictable.
A fully staffed school, every day
A full-time school nurse helps care for students during the school day.
Zoe Robinson Academy operates with a complete on-site team. The staff includes six classroom teachers supported by four teaching aides, a full-time principal, a school nurse, and a social worker responsible for student welfare and child-protection support.
Two security staff are present during school hours to maintain a safe environment, and a kitchen team prepares daily meals for students on site.
This staffing structure ensures that instruction, supervision, health care, meals, and safety are handled consistently. Students are supported throughout the day by adults with defined roles and clear responsibility for their well-being.
Serving children through the Street Child Project
Students placed through a national education initiative attend class alongside other students from the community.
Thirty-two of the 104 students at Zoe Robinson Academy attend through Liberia’s national Support A Child, Save The Future initiative, commonly known as the Street Child Project.
The program is led by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection and was established to remove children from street-connected situations and place them into formal schooling. The initiative provides coordinated support that extends beyond enrollment, including health care, psychosocial services, and assistance to caregivers.
At Zoe Robinson Academy, students enrolled through this program attend the same classes, follow the same daily routines, and are held to the same expectations as their peers. They are part of the school community, not a separate program within it.
The school’s role is straightforward: to provide consistent instruction, supervision, and care to every child enrolled, regardless of how that child arrived at the classroom door.
The renovation that made reopening possible
When LSFNC first partnered with Hilltop, the building was in such poor condition that the school could not responsibly open to students. Windows were out of compliance, parts of the roof were open enough for rain to enter classrooms, and some learning spaces were divided only by partitions. Before the school could reopen, the building had to be brought up to a basic standard for safety, government approval and a license.
Before:
After:
Before: Not licensable and not ready for students.
After: A school building that could be approved and reopened
LSFNC and Hilltop Schools raised the funds, and Hilltop Schools managed the work locally with contractors and engineers. The renovation was extensive: new windows and doors, a new roof, new bathrooms, and additional classroom and office space. It was the essential first step that made reopening possible. Students are proud to come to school here. In a community with no public schools, Zoe Robinson Academy stands as a beacon of hope. The moment students walk in, they feel the difference: a bright, welcoming environment filled with an energy that inspires them to show up and learn every day.”
The learning environment
Reopening on time for fall 2025 classes was a challenge. The renovations also had to create classrooms where teaching could happen consistently and students could focus throughout the day.
Before:
After:
Before: Classrooms that could not reliably support daily instruction.
After: Classrooms built for learning and routine.
Students are proud to come to school here. In a community with no public school nearby, Zoe Robinson Academy feels different the moment they walk in: bright, welcoming, and full of energy that makes children eager to show up and learn.
Leadership & staff
Mrs. Christine Smith, Principal of Zoe Robinson Academy, speaking to students and staff on campus.
Zoe Robinson Academy is led on site by a full-time principal responsible for daily operations, staff supervision, and the learning environment. The principal is present throughout the school day and serves as the primary point of accountability for students, teachers, and families.
Classroom instruction is delivered by six professional teachers, supported by four teaching aides. Additional staff include a school nurse, a social worker focused on student welfare, two security staff, and a kitchen team that prepares daily meals on site.
All staff are present during the school day and work within defined roles. This structure ensures that instruction, supervision, health care, meals, and safety are managed consistently and without interruption.
Relationship to LSFNC
Zoe Robinson Academy is operated locally by Hilltop Schools in Liberia. Day-to-day instruction, staffing, and student care are managed on site by the school’s leadership and staff.
The Liberian School for Needy Children (LSFNC) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that supports the school through fundraising, oversight, and long-term planning. LSFNC does not manage daily operations or instruction.
The costs of operating the school are shared between Hilltop Schools and LSFNC. Each plays an active role in funding expenses to ensure the school can operate consistently and responsibly.
This structure allows the school to be led locally by professional educators while benefiting from sustained financial support and governance oversight from the United States.
Zoe's story
Her inspiring journey of love, faith and community.
Zoe believed that every child is a gift from God, deserving of dignity, opportunity, and love. LSFNC continues her legacy — one child, one classroom, one future at a time.