WHAT ARE CHARTER SCHOOLS?

 

Charter schools are public schools that have a contract, or charter, with a school district, county, or directly with the state.  The charter describes the curriculum, policies, operational guidelines, and educational goals of the school.  Charter schools were established to encourage new methods of educating students, so that our children can better compete in the job market as adults.  A school’s charter must be renewed every 5 years, and can be revoked if educational goals are not met.  This results in a large emphasis being placed on meeting these goals, which makes a charter school act much like a free market enterprise; if a charter school is not adequately educating students, it will not stay in business.  This incentive is largely missing in the non-charter public schools.

 

The Ridgecrest Charter School (RCS), which is chartered directly with the state of California, was founded by a group of local families that desired a different educational program than was currently offered by the area public schools.  The establishment of RCS in 2001 gave the Ridgecrest community a choice in classroom-model public school curriculum for the first time.  Our charter was unanimously approved for renewal by the California State Board of Education in 2004.

 

HOW IS RCS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

 

Ridgecrest Charter School is a school of choice, which means that there is not a “neighborhood” attendance area.  Parents in any “neighborhood” can choose to send their children to RCS.  In addition, RCS focuses on a “basics” program, with high emphasis placed on reading, writing, and mathematics. We believe that with a solid educational foundation in these basic skills, students will be better prepared to take advantage of diverse educational offerings at the high school level. There is also a dress code at RCS, which tends to allow more student focus on academics instead of the latest clothing styles or the affluence of other families.

 

HOW IS RCS DIFFERENT FROM PRIVATE SCHOOLS?

 

Ridgecrest Charter School is funded by the government and, like all other public schools, must teach to established state standards.  Unlike private schools, no tuition is charged.  Like all public schools, mandatory state testing of the students is required, with the results made available to the public. Our teachers must also meet the stringent credential requirements of all California public schools.  In addition, the school may not discriminate based on religious preference, or any other aspect.

 

WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE ASPECTS OF RIDGECREST CHARTER SCHOOL?

 

•Small class size (20 students per class in K-3, 28 per class in 4 and 5, 25 in 6-8)

 

•One extra hour instructional time per day compared to other primary public schools (equivalent to an extra 6 weeks of instructional time)

 

•Continuous curriculum vs. segmented curriculum

 

•After-school tutoring available 2 hours per week in grades K through 8.               

 

•Dress code

 

•Strict discipline policy

 

•Small school allows easy access to decision-makers, resulting in rapid programmatic adjustments when needed.

 

 

IS THE RIDGECREST CHARTER SCHOOL THE BEST CHOICE FOR ALL FAMILIES?

 

As with any decision of this importance, families must carefully weigh the commitment required versus the benefit.  Some factors to consider are as follows:

 

•RCS requires 4 hours of volunteer time per family per month.  Charter schools typically do not receive the same amount of state funding as district schools, and we rely on help from the parents to help close that gap.  Many tasks, such as landscaping, helping with fundraisers, or helping out in the classroom are performed by volunteers.  We strongly believe that the more the parents are involved with their child’s education, the better the child will do in school.  Their presence at the school also helps parents see and address potential problems or come up with ideas for new ways to do things.

 

•As RCS does not have a hot lunch program, parents are responsible for providing a lunch. 

 

•Transportation to and from school is the responsibility of the parent. Because we are a school of choice, the large area that our student population comes from does not make bus service cost-effective.  Daycare busses and the RATS bus do, however, pick up and deliver students.

 

•Our extracurricular sports/clubs program is growing, but still smaller than what some other schools provide. 

 

For families that do not have time to volunteer, require a hot lunch program or school bus service, or desire more after school sports and club activities, this program may not be appropriate.  The families that have chosen RCS, however, have made these choices in exchange for the solid educational program offered. 

 

HOW CAN I ENROLL MY CHILD?

 

Simply drop by the school and fill out an enrollment application.  For each new school year, priority enrollment is given to existing students, followed by their siblings and children of staff.  If openings exist in a class, a lottery system is used to prioritize the applications. 

 

RIDGECREST CHARTER SCHOOL 325 S. DOWNS ST. RIDGECREST, CA  93555 (760) 375-1010 OFFICE HOURS: WEEKDAYS 7:30 - 4:00