Charter Schools in Arlington Area

Arlington Classics Academy is a charter school. I haven't used them but know of people that have. I've heard good stuff about them. You might check them out.

My son is at Summit International Prep in North Arlington (the old Country Day campus). They are part of the Uplift charter schools--One of their schools is ranked among the top in the nation. Summit is only a few years old, but they already rank as an exemplary school for all grade levels.

Things I like: teachers are wonderful; campus is beautiful; administration has improved significantly over the past year (It's a newer school, so there were some initial kinks); they offer K-12 and you can't graduate without a college acceptance letter.

I've been pleased with my experience overall. My son's getting a private school education at a charter school. Check them out at www.summitinternationalprep.org. A lot of people apply for the lottery to be accepted--I have a couple of friends whose kids didn't get in to the kindergarten class this past year.

My daughter is a 2nd grader at Arlington Classics Academy. She's been there since Kinder. We have been very happy with the school. To be warned, they give a lot of homework, have accelerated academics and are very strict about behavior. It was a bit of an adjustment for us since my daughter went to a Montessori preschool that was pretty easy going about behavior and routines.

The application process starts in February the year before you want your child to attend. Check the website arlingtonclassics.org for dates and deadlines. There are always a ton of applicants and they use a lottery system to select students. Don't be discouraged if you get put on a waitlist. I was on a waitlist and still managed to get in.

Another option if you are not happy with your neighborhood school is to transfer to another elementary in AISD. For an $80 fee you can transfer to any other school within AISD. They usually open for transfers in March (?). Again, you can check the AISD website for the date (aisd.net). Some of the schools are very competitive to get into and parents have been known to wait out overnight to insure they get into the school they want. I hope this answers all of your questions.

I do not have personal experience with a charter school in Arlington; however, I have a friend who teaches at Arlington Classics Academy. Therefore, her children are students there, as well. She is very pleased with the school, curriculum, etc. and has nothing but good things to say about it. It is more academically challenging; so be aware of that aspect and be prepared for more homework/projects than you and your child would experience in a traditional public school setting.

I believe that Grace Prep Academy is a charter school.

Our youngest went to a Charter school from K-6 when we moved here. I was very pleased with it and he was very happy. I liked the fact that if a child caused too much trouble they were asked to leave. I am not sure if the rules for Charter schools are uniform across the country but we did not have the discipline problems I see in public schools here. That being said we have been pleased with the school our child is in here. I would say try it you can always go to public school or private if it does not work out. Like any school the best thing you can do is volunteer, develop a relationship with the staff and get to know your children's friends parents.