Arizona Charter Academy in Surprise to Launch New Integrated Academy of Studies Program for Grades Six through Eight
In Order to Better Serve the School's K-8 Students, Arizona Charter Academy will transition to a K-8 school and no longer offer a High School Program Beginning with the 2017-2018 School Year
Since the day Arizona Charter Academy (ACA) first opened, the Surprise school has earned a well-deserved reputation for being especially adept at serving the academic needs of its youngest students.
In order to continue to provide its middle school students with as outstanding an education as possible, ACA will launch its new Integrated Academy of Studies Program this August for grades six through eight.
The Integrated Academy of Studies Program will allow ACA's middle school scholars to take courses in the Arts, STEM, Business and Civics. As part of the program, students will be introduced and exposed to multiple areas of study and explore different subjects. The sixth through eighth grade students will also have the opportunity to travel to Washington DC and New York City, and take part in visits to local colleges.
The school will also significantly expand the size of its existing K-8 program, almost doubling its size and offering five classes per grade level.
In order to do this, the high school program will no longer be offered starting with the 2017-18 school year, and the middle school will move into the current high school building. ACA's top-rated elementary school program will continue as usual.
We are very excited about the Integrated Academy of Studies Program and the opportunity to serve even more middle school students," Principal Heather Henderson said.
We are looking forward to an increase in our middle school's enrollment and offering our sixth through eighth graders a variety of interesting and multi-faceted classes.
As Chief Executive Officer Melissa Holdaway noted, deciding to move from a K-12 to a K-8 school was an extremely difficult decision, and not one that was made quickly or lightly. In order to help with the transition, Holdaway said ACA is partnering with several other high quality charter high schools in the area that students can select from, once they graduate from ACA's middle school.
"There are several great high schools in our community, and representatives from the high schools will come to ACA this school year and give presentations to our students," she said.
"In the end, we feel this will be a positive change that will allow us to provide a world class K-8 program."