Virginia's Public Charter Schools
There are nine public charter schools operating in Virginia.
Murray High School – Albemarle County
Murray High School (MHS) was established as a nontraditional high school in 1988-1989 and approved to convert to a charter school in 2001. The mission of MHS is to facilitate intensive, experiential learning opportunities in order to provide academic and personal success for students who are at-risk to leave school or to graduate below potential. The educational program is based on the philosophy of William Glasser's Quality School Program.
School Administrator:
Ashby Kindler, Principal
Murray High School
1200 Forest Street
Charlottesville, VA 22093
Phone: 434-296-3090
Fax: 434-979-6479
Email: akindler@k12albemarle.org
School Division Contact:
Chad Ratliff, Director of Instructional Programs
Albemarle County Public Schools
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: 434-296-5820
Fax: 434-296-5805
Email: cratliff@k12.albemarle.org
The Community Public Charter School – Albemarle County
- School Division: Albemarle County
- Grade Levels: 6-8
- Number of Students: 49
- Opened: August 2008
The mission of The Community Public Charter School is to provide an innovative learning environment, using the arts, to help children in grades six through eight balance individual strengths and developmental needs promoting the whole child intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially. With Choice Theory, the philosophical base is to strive to help students gain more responsibility for their social, emotional lives and in their academics. Seeking to serve students at risk of not succeeding in a traditional setting, the school fosters the knowledge, skills and habits of mind necessary to close student achievement gaps in mathematics and reading literacy and provide a community of engaged learners and participatory citizens. The school is fully enrolled with a waiting list for two grades.
School Administrator:
Ashby Kindler, Principal
Community Public Charter School
1200 Forest Street
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Phone: 434-972-1607
Fax: 434-979-6479
Email: akindler@k12albemarle.org
School Division Contact:
Chad Ratliff, Asst. Director of Instruction and Innovation Projects
Albemarle County Public Schools
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: 434-296-5820
Fax: 434-296-5805
Email: cratliff@k12.albemarle.org
Middleburg Community Charter School – Loudoun County
Teaching and learning at Middleburg Community Charter School focuses on student academic success in the context of an integrated program influenced by the life and thinking habits of Leonardo DaVinci. The program is designed to meet Virginia academic standards, in addition to increasing student confidence and capacity for generating ideas at the college level and beyond. The program is grounded in current education research and is adapted from the DaVinci curriculum developed by Barcroft Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. The school features multi-age classrooms, innovative STEM programs, and the daily inquiry-based DaVinci Lab. The focus on teaching and learning addresses five key curriculum elements, referred to as the DaVinci By the Creek Curriculum:
C – Creativity
R – Relationships
E – Engineering and Life Science
E – Essential Understandings (Mathematics, Language)
K – Knowledge of the global, national, state and local geographical, historical, and present day social studies
School Administrator:
David Larson, Principal
101 North Madison Street
Middleburg, VA 20177
Phone: 540-687-5048
Fax: 703-542-1257
Email: David.Larson.lcps.org
School Division Contact:
Dr. Mike Martin, Director of Elementary Education
Loudoun County Public Schools
21000 Education Court
Ashburn, Virginia 20148
Phone: 571-252-1290
Fax: 571-252-1166
Email: mike.martin@lcps.org
York River Academy – York County
York River Academy provides an academic, social, and career preparatory education in computer and web-based technology for students at risk of not graduating or graduating below potential. The curriculum is designed around a structured four-year plan where students are divided among cohorts and take classes leading to a Virginia standard diploma. Students also work toward accomplishing Information Technology industry certification and acquiring practical work place readiness skills. The school has a dynamic parent partnership program and community involvement.
School Administrator:
Walter Cross, Principal
York River Academy
11201 George Washington Highway
Yorktown, VA 23692
Phone: 757-898-0516
Fax: 855-369-2615
Email: wcross@ycsd.york.va.us
School Division Contact:
Dr. Stephanie Guy, Chief Academic Officer
York County Public Schools
302 Dare Road
Yorktown, VA 23692-2795
Phone: 757-898-0300
Fax: 855-878-9063
Email: sguy@ycsd.york.va.us
Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts – Richmond
The mission is to establish a school based on parent, educator, and community involvement. The school intends to provide the children of the ethnically and socio-economically diverse Richmond community with an academically rigorous science and liberal arts curriculum that emphasizes environmental awareness and social responsibility.
School Administrator:
Dr. Eileen Atkinson, Principal
3411 Semmes Avenue
Richmond VA 23225
Phone: 804-888-7061
Fax: 804-888-7064
Email: eatkinso@richmond.k12.va.us
School Division Contact:
Dr. Anthony Leonard, Executive Director of Elementary Education
301 North Ninth Street, 17th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-780-7901
Fax: 804-780-7515
Email: aleonard@richmond.k12.va.us
Website: patrickhenrycharter.org
Green Run Collegiate – Virginia Beach City
- School Division: Virginia Beach City
- Grade Levels: 9-12
- Number of Students: 400
- Opened September 2013 first graduation class in 2016-2017
The mission of Green Run Collegiate (GRC) is to engage students in critical thinking and teamwork to empower them toward college and career readiness and global citizenship as community leaders. GRC, as a Virginia Beach City Public Charter School, is committed to providing all students with the necessary skills to thrive as 21st century learners, workers, and citizens. GRC has specialized focus on college and career readiness with an emphasis on knowledge, civic, social and personal development for students. The curriculum includes the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (MYP) (9-10), the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (DP) (11-12), the International Baccalaureate Career Certificate Program (IBCC) (11-12) and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) for all students.
School Administrator:
Barbara Winn, Head of School
Green Run Collegiate
1700 Dahlia Dr.
Virginia Beach, VA 23453
Phone: 757-648-5350
Fax: 757-431-4153
Email: barbara.winn@vbschools.com
School Division Contact:
Daniel F. Keever, Senior Executive Director, High Schools, Office of School Leadership
Virginia Beach City Public Schools
2512 George Mason Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23454-0038
Phone: 757-263-1264
Fax: 757-263-1392
Email: DanielF.Keever@vbschools.com
Richmond Career Education and Employment Academy – Richmond
- School Division: Richmond
- Grade Level: 9-12
- Number of students: 40
- Opened: September 2013
The mission of Richmond Career Education and Employment Academy is to provide an intensive functional life skills curriculum that is oriented toward career education and competitive employment for Richmond students, ages 14-21. These students have significant cognitive disabilities, lack a functional communication system, demonstrate significant deficits in social competence, and typically graduate with a Special Diploma. The school will enhance the productive contributions and vocational capacities of youth with significant disabilities who have typically not been competitively employed nor been seen as having the ability to be competitively employed upon graduation. Students appropriate for the Richmond Career Education and Employment Academy typically will enter with poorly developed functional communication and social skills as well as severe academic challenges. Outcomes for all students will be competitive employment, enrollment in meaningful post-secondary programs, or other productive activity that contributes directly to the well-being of the community.
School Administrator:
Maurice Burton, Principal
4314 Crutchfield Street
Richmond. VA 23225
Phone: 804-230-7763
Fax: 804-230-7766
Email: mburton2@richmond.k12.va.us
School Division Contact:
Dr. Michelle Boyd, Executive Director of Exceptional Education & Student Services
301 North Ninth Street, 13th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-780-7911
Fax: 804-780-6869
Email: mboyd@richmond.k12.va.us
Metropolitan Preparatory Academy – Richmond
- School Division: Richmond
- Grade Level: 6-12
- Number of students (First full year of operation: 100; Number Planned: 700)
- Opening: Summer Program 2017 Regular Program September 2017
The Metropolitan Preparatory Academy, a public, full-service, peaceable, middle-high charter school, will offer urban young men in grades 6-12 residing in Richmond, Virginia the opportunity for a college and career preparatory education designed to mold them into global citizens prepared for successful 21st century living. The school will open with 100 6th graders during the first year of operation, and add a new class of 100 6th graders each year until it reaches full capacity: 700 students in grades 6-12.
Our mission is to employ a pedagogical model based on active, problem-based learning, socio-emotional development, cognitive training, intense acceleration, creative conflict resolution, and increased time in school, to engender meaningful learning; help students make the connections between textbook lessons and everyday life; and to enhance engagement, achievement, graduation, and college matriculation and persistence.
During 2015-2016, the school administrative team will planning for the opening of a summer program in July 2016 and then for the regular school year to begin in September 2016 in conjunction with the opening of other RPS division schools.
School Administrator: TBA – spring 2016
School Division Contact:
Dr. Abe Jeffers Executive Director for Secondary Schools
301 North Ninth Street, 17th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-780-7859
Fax: 804-780-4538
Email: dward@richmond.k12.va.us
Hillsboro Charter Academy – Loudoun County
- School Division: Loudoun County
- Grade Levels: K-5
- Number of Students: 100
- Opening: Fall 2016
The Hillsboro Charter Academy will provide a curriculum that uses research-based educational practices and methodologies. Student learning plans will be designed to meet individual needs and incorporate an interdisciplinary approach that blends the visual and performing arts, technology education, science exploration, mathematics, and design engineering concepts in a cross-curricular structure. Educators will incorporate project based lessons that immerse students in sensory activities to stimulate and develop students’ higher order thinking skills.
School Administrator:
Trisha Ybarra-Peters
37110 Charles Town Pike
Purcellville, VA 20132
Phone: 540-751-6732
Fax: 703-771-6732
Email: trisha.ybarrapeters@hillsborocharter.org
School Division Contact:
Dr. Mike Martin, Director of Elementary Education
Loudoun County Public Schools
21000 Education Court
Ashburn, Virginia 20148
Phone: 571-252-1290
Fax: 571-252-1166
Email: mike.martin@lcps.org
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