Any input on Evergreen and/or Artspace Charter schools ? (theater, transportation)

[queenofbavaria]

as a reply or via private message ?

would be great if I could get some personal insight. thanks !

[noctiluca]

I don't have first-hand experience, unfortunately (because we were waaay down on the wait list!), but I did research both schools quite a bit. Evergreen (as you probably know) has an expeditionary learning philosophy, meaning that they do interdisciplinary, in-depth projects focused on certain themes throughout the year. There is a strong focus on the environment and character education. They have some of the best test scores and one of the strongest reputations in the state. I don't know anyone associated with that school who doesn't think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. The only negative thing I've ever heard about them is that they're not great with kids who have special needs. They typically receive 400+ applications for about 26 spots, so good luck! It's a straight lottery system, so there's no way to improve your chances of getting in short of being on the staff.

ArtSpace is focused on learning through the arts (music, theater, poetry, etc.), so if you have creative kids it may be a good fit. We ended up not applying because we wanted a more structured environment, but that's just our kid's learning style and not because we didn't like the school. I think their reputation isn't quite as strong academically as Evergreen, but they are a School of Distinction and the people I've met who have kids there all love it - it seems like a very close knit community. I don't think they're quite as overwhelmed with applications as Evergreen is, but they do have quite a wait list as well.

For both schools you'd need to think about travel distance, because charter schools don't generally provide transportation. I think a lot of people carpool.

I hope that's helpful!