By Jamar Younger
This has proved to be a landmark year for Arizona’s public charter schools.
Arizona celebrated the 25th anniversary of charter schools with enrollment surging past 200,000 students for the first time, accounting for 18 percent of the state’s total student population.
Charter schools continue to receive high marks in the state’s accountability system while outperforming the state average on assessment test, fueling the demand for more charter options in communities throughout the state.
On Monday, the State Board for Charter Schools added to those options approving six new charter schools, creating 1,082 new seats for Arizona students.
The schools include:
Copper State Academy will provide a rigorous college-prep core curriculum along with specialized business and design electives that are engaging and relevant for the 21st century workplace. Serving students in central Phoenix, the school plans to open in August 2021.
Freedom Preparatory Academy will open as an online school and learning center in Mesa beginning in August 2020. The school offers STEM-related Career and Technical Education coursework designed to prepare students for college and careers. Initially serving seventh and eighth grades, the school will eventually expand to K-12.
Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy will open in August 2020. Offering a place-based experiential education curriculum that integrates all subjects and engages families and the wider community, the school will initially serve students in first through sixth grades in Page, Greenhaven and the surrounding Navajo Nation communities and will eventually expanding to K-8.
Scholars Academy Sunnyslope plans to empower all students to succeed in college and 21st careers by providing strategic academics, student support and family engagement. With a commitment to building community partnerships in the Sunnyslope area, the school will open in August 2020 serving grades K-6 before expanding to K-8.
Liberty Leadership Academy will offer a rigorous, performing arts-enhanced curriculum that develops enduring leadership skills. When it opens in Cottonwood in August 2020, the school will serve grades K-5, with a plan to eventually expand to K-8.
SLAM Arizona will open in August 2020 serving Mesa students in grades K-5. With an emphasis on producing college-bound graduates, the curriculum emphasizes themes of sports, leadership, arts, and management. Lessons are SLAM-ified through sports themes and concepts to ensure relevance to the lives of students’ lives.
The Arizona Charter Schools Association is proud to have provided support and technical assistance to these new charter schools.
