Charter school questions (Tampa, Dunedin, Lutz: chapel, public schools, pros and cons)

[tidyedsunriselz]

Is the wait list for Tampa area charter schools very long?

My aunt lived in Winterhaven for a while and said it took 5 years before my cousin was able to get into a charter school. Is this generally the case?

It seems as though Florida has a lot of them and I was curious about the pros and cons to putting our child through a charter school vs public school.

We are looking at the Dunedin area mostly and are curious about Acadamie Di Vinci charter school vs. Garrison-Jones Elementary to be specific, but are still interested in other areas also. We understand Acadamie Di Vinci is very art oriented which we like, but do the children still get a balanced education and do well in other areas?

So are charter schools worth the wait (if there really is one)?

[annaegel]

I have 2 kids in Learning Gate Community School, in Lutz. I cannot answer what the other schools waiting list is like, but it all depends on available space. Several years ago, I put mine on a waiting list in March. They got in one week before school was due to start.

Learning Gate is an ecology based school. It is much better environment than the regular public schools. My kids did go to a nice "A" rated school. They just weren't blossoming in that environment.

There are positives as well as negatives. I think each school would their own set of positives and negatives. You can go to a website: www.greatschools.net If you look for the school(s) you are interested in, parents/students/teachers, may make an evaluation about the school. It also gives the ranking of that school.

It depends on what it is you are looking for in a school. I know people who have taken their kids out of Learning Gate and placed them in a new charter school in Wesley Chapel (pasco county). They are happier there. It is called something like Rainbow ????

What grade(s) are you looking for? Any special issues such as ADHD, learning disabilities? You could also find out what are the charter schools in florida. Google, "Florida Charter schools". There is a website that lists all the charter schools for various counties in Florida.

[tidyedsunriselz]

She will be starting 1st grade when we move. No ADHD or learning disabilities... Where we live, she attends a great school, its a 10 according to greatschools.net, and it's a public school even. So it's kind of hard to beat, but I ofcourse want to find something as good when we move. Thanks for the tips!!