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What a Charter School Can Do for You and Your Child at Sky Ranch

As Sky Ranch Academy prepares to open for the 2023-24 school year, parents and students who are unfamiliar with charter schools might have questions.

Who runs them? How are they different from public schools? And what do they offer?

Those answers (and more) can be found here, but to summarize, charter schools are tuition-free public schools that are independent from the local public schools. Like public schools, charter schools are required to adhere to all federal, state, and local education, health, and safety rules and regulations. The quality of a private school education, without the cost, is available to all students.

Charter schools are subject to the same standards as public schools, and report to an authorizer who determines if the school is meeting the goals set in its charter. The authorizer monitors the school’s performance, including finances and stability, and can consist of a board of education, a state university, community college, or local district. Sky Ranch Academy is authorized by Bennett School District 29J.

National Heritage Academies (NHA) is the management organization behind Sky Ranch Academy and nearly 100 schools across nine states. The support and resources NHA provides to teachers and administrators on the ground in schools allows them to focus their time and energy on what they do best – teach. NHA’s Service Center is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., and employs hundreds of people – from curriculum specialists to safety and health – who do some heavy lifting behind the scenes for schools.

Sky Ranch's opening will continue to strengthen school choice in the community, giving parents options for children who otherwise would be assigned a school solely based on where they live. Sky Ranch will fill a need in Waukesha. It’s something NHA has provided to so many communities since 1995: a proven Moral Focus-based curriculum. 

Sky Ranch Academy is taking applications for the 2023-24 school year. Apply today!

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About Sky Ranch Academy
Sky Ranch Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Watkins, Colorado, serving students in kindergarten through seventh grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

Visit Sky Ranch Academy's blog to read more stories like this.