CHARTER SCHOOLS
Charter schools are public schools. They are funded under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which allocates state and local tax dollars to public education agencies based on the number of pupils in each grade level. Additional funding is provided for students with high needs, such as low-income pupils and English learners. Public funding generally follows the student to the public school the parents choose, whether a charter school or a traditional district school. When charter schools are funded, there is no overall loss of public school money because charter schools are public schools. Charter schools are open to all families and serve all students. There are no charter school boundaries/zones. Anyone from any city may attend. Many charter schools offer smaller classrooms than traditional schools and offer more flexible teaching/learning environments. California law gives charter schools autonomy and flexibility in exchange for increased accountability. Charter schools must be renewed at least every five years by the school district or authorizer to ensure they have good academic results, and that they are operating in a fiscally and operationally responsible manner.
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San Diego North County Schools Network
San Diego
North County
Charter Schools
5 Days in School
(Classroom Based Charters)
*Guajome Park Academy is an IB School. See the IB page for more info.
*Heritage schools have a lottery but give priority to Escondido district students
*High Tech schools balance the lottery names they pull by zip code. With more people applying from within San Marcos you have a higher chance of getting in from a city outside San Marcos.
*Baypoint is due to open their new facility at 520 E. Carmel St. They are building it out.
*La Fuente is located at Faith Lutheran Church 700 E. Bobier Dr.
*Dual Language Immersion is next to Living Spaces at 2030 University Dr.
*Pivot Charter School offers half day mornings for TK-5 and you can choose 0-5 days onsite
*Scholarship Prep is located at Mission San Luis Rey Parish 4070 Mission Ave.
*Vivian Banks is a Bonsall school district school. It does not run by lottery like the others. Contact them about an intra- or inter- district transfer as it's a district only charter.
4 Days in School
(Independent Study Charters):
*Classical Academy HS Escondido attend Tues Wed Thurs Fri
*Coastal Academy HS Oceanside attend Tues Wed Thurs Fri
*Community Montessori schools attend Mon Tues Wed Thurs
*Dimensions Collaborative Waldorf program is 4 days at Faith Congregational Church 1800 N. Broadway. This program is new for 2021-2022 school year.
*JCS Cedar Cove attend Mon-Thurs
*JCS Mountain Oaks follows a gifted & talented standards curriculum. See gifted schools page. They attend Mon-Thurs
*Pacific View Charter attend Mon Tues Thurs Fri 8:15-2:45
*Pivot Charter School offers 3 hour days 9-12pm, choice of 0-5 days a week. Curriculum is online
3 Days in School
(Independent Study Charters):
*Classical Academy PLC is Tues, Wed, Thurs. Flexible with less days and a personalized mix of online, independent study, and some on campus classes.
*Classical Academy MS M Track Escondido attend Tues, Wed, Thurs
*Classical Academy MS Summit Learning attend Tues, Wed, Thurs
*Classical Academy MS M Track Vista is Tues, Wed, Thurs 9:00-3:30
*Coastal Academy M track attend Tues, Wed, Thurs
*Dimensions Collaborative has supplemental learning center classes for TK-12. No days are required. TK-12 is at North Coast Church on Escondido/San Marcos border 1441 Montiel Rd.
*Springs Mosaic students attend Tues, Wed, Thurs at Faith Lutheran Church
*Pivot Charter School is half days 9-12pm, choice of 0-5 days a week for TK-5. Curriculum is online
2 Days in School
(Independent Study Charters):
*Classical Academy Escondido A Track is Tues Thurs 8:00-2:30
*Classical Academy Escondido B Track is Wed Fri 8:00-2:30
*Classical Academy Vista A Track is Tues Wed 9:00-3:00(K-2) or 3:30(3-8)
*Classical Academy Vista B Track is Thurs Fri 9:00-3:00(K-2) or 3:30(3-8)
*Coastal Academy Oceanside A Track is Tues Thurs 8:00-2:30
*Coastal Academy Oceanside B Track is Wed Fri 8:00-2:30
*Classical Academy Vista offers a Thursday drop off program for a fee with a credentialed teacher for those on Track A. B Track does not have this option, nor do the Escondido or Oceanside locations.
*Dimensions Collaborative has supplemental learning center classes for TK-12. No days are required. TK-12 is at North Coast Church on Escondido/San Marcos border 1441 Montiel Rd.
*Heritage Flex Academy gives priority to those living within Escondido Union Boundaries
*Pivot Charter School is half days, and they allow you to choose 0-5 days on campus.
*Vista Springs Learning Center is Mon Fri. It's located at Faith Lutheran Church. It is on the same campus as La Fuente Dual Language Institute 5-day program and the Mosaic 3-day program.
1 Day in School
(Independent Study Charters):
*Classical Academy Escondido offers one TK from 8:30-11:30 on Tuesdays or Fridays
*Coastal Academy Oceanside offers TK on Mondays 8:15-11:15
*Classical Academy Vista does not yet offer on campus time for TK 2022-2023
*Dimensions Collaborative allows 0-4 days onsite. TK-5 is at Faith Congregational Church. 6-12 is at North Coast Church near the San Marcos border. Grade 10+ has an option to do one school day on the Palomar College campus.
*Escondido Charter High School Flex is part of the Heritage Schools. Those in the Heritage Flex K-8 programs get priority to the High School Flex Programs.
*JCS Home Study program offers a learning center day for TK-8. It's on Fridays at the Mountain Oaks Encinitas Facility located at the cross streets of Encinitas Blvd and Quail Gardens Road.
*Springs Charter School Vista Learning Center is at Faith Lutheran Church. They offer Mondays and Fridays onsite and you can choose just one of those days.
100% Homeschool
(weekly or monthly progress meetings):
*Audeo Charter Schools do have resource centers in Carlsbad and Escondido. Students come in for one on one tutoring and teacher meetings. Audeo has year round school and summer only options.
*Classical Academy Escondido and Coastal Academy Oceanside C Tracks K-8 do offer c'electives for your child to come onsite 1-2 days. The Vista location does not offer c'lectives as of 2022-2023. Each site has different offerings/limits and are subject to availability. Current students at year end get priority in selecting electives for the next year before new students that are enrolling for the next year. C track students are on the priority waitlist for other onsite tracks. While Classical does give funding to their homeschoolers it is lower than homeschool charters that do not have onsite options.
Guajome Learning Centers get priority on the waitlist to the campus school. There is also an option to take some classes on campus, if space is available.
*Pivot Charter School has onsite options for TK-5 for workshops with a teacher. Grades 6-12 can also come onsite to work if they don't want to work at home.
*Suncoast Prep is actually chartered out of Orange County. It is listed here because they do have a Vista office where students can meet with their advisor for meetings and hand in work samples.
100% Homeschool Charters
NOT based in North County
Open to all San Diego Residents
This section only includes charters that north county residents can enroll in that does not require you to go to their onsite location for learning period meetings, assessments, etc... Toggle to central , east, or south bay charters if you are open to seeing those charters. Those who live around the 56 area of north county or who work outside of north county may be interested in the schools in other areas.
* 5 day a week charter schools are considered classroom based charters and usually have a traditional school campus.
*Anything less than 5 full days onsite a week is considered an independent study charter school. It can have a traditional school campus, but in most cases does not. Many times, the school is based out of another area, and it opens resource centers in various cities/counties to bring teachers and some onsite classes nearby. These charters typically rent out space from a shopping center, office complex, or church for their resource centers. One question to always ask is if there is outdoor space, recess, and a playground(if this is important to you) because many of the locations do not have outdoor space.
*While you may see a charter with onsite classes 1,2,3+ days a week - it does not necessarily mean the classes are core subject classes. Many times they are enrichment classes. These are independent study/homeschool charters so you'll need to ask if the onsite classes are core classes or if you as parent need to teach all core classes.
* Charters with a dollar sign ($) listed mean that the charter gives funds per child to order curriculum, take classes, use vendors. Range of funds is about $500 - $3,200 per year per child. More funds = more flexibility. Those without funds are charters that have a set curriculum for it's students or an onsite campus with onsite offerings.
*Charter school programs and options tend to change periodically. Please contact the charter school directly to confirm that the programs listed above are accurate.
*Charter schools with an (ef) mean that the charter does not have a physical resource center in north county, but there is an education facilitator that lives in the city listed that is available to meet you in person for your monthly meetings.