ResponsiveEd, the largest charter school system in Texas, is proud to announce the opening of three new tuition-free public schools and two new campus buildings for the 2017-2018 school year. This brings the total number of Texas schools to 69, in addition to the four Arkansas campuses in operation.
“We’re excited to broaden our footprint across the state and provide families with the opportunity to choose what kind of education is right for their children,” says ResponsiveEd’s Vice President of School Activations Anthony Edwards. “Our new STEM Academy in Lewisville is certainly one of our crown jewels that complements our other distinct models including Premier High School and classical academies.”
The newest schools to become a part of the ResponsiveEd family include:
STEM Academy
The new STEM Academy in Lewisville at 650 Bennett Lane is open to 6th through 12th graders and is focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with an emphasis on classical values. It is a new ResponsiveEd school model that incorporates mastery-based learning and leverages partnerships with Youth Entrepreneurs (YE), NASA’s HUNCH program, and the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program to provide students with a positive mindset and real-world STEM experience.
The new high school campus director, Scott Carpenter brings with him two years of experience serving as the assistant headmaster at ResponsiveEd’s Founders Classical Academy of Lewisville.
“We are incredibly excited about the upcoming school year at STEM Academy of Lewisville. The Middle School Campus Director Carolyn Anderson and I are looking forward to serving
The Foundational Values of the STEM Academy.
our students and working relentlessly on behalf of our teachers to provide an excellent atmosphere of passion, freedom, and responsibility,” says Carpenter. “Our aim is to create good citizens through a STEM-focused curriculum while providing a moral compass through the Foundational Values we’ve adopted through our partnership with Youth Entrepreneurs. It’s going to be a fantastic year at STEM Academy of Lewisville!”
Carolyn Anderson has spent the past three years serving as a campus director at various ResponsiveEd campuses. She is excited to use her 18 years of experience in education to foster an environment where students grow educationally and morally to become exceptional citizens.
Amarillo Collegiate Academy
ResponsiveEd’s Vista Academy opened in Amarillo in 2007 and iSchool High shortly after. Uniting the two schools under the name of Amarillo Collegiate Academy and adding a second building to house the high school students at 6100 South Georgia Street is part of ResponsiveEd’s efforts to develop its mastery-based school models. The kindergarten through 12th grade school integrates a hands-on learning environment geared toward the pursuit of post-secondary education.
The new building will allow the school to serve more students.
Campus director Mike Griffin, who has been at the campus since it opened, believes the school’s focus on early-age reading skills helps them build independent learning habits from third grade to graduation and not only develops college-ready students, but also life-long learners.
“For the past 10 years we have developed a strong program that empowers independent learners with good habits of virtue and self-discipline. This renaming and new campus building will allow us to grow the program to provide more students with this unique opportunity,” says Griffin.
Tyler Classical Academy
Also starting this school year in a new building, Tyler Classical Academy relocating from the University Drive location where it has been for five years to a new state-of-the-art facility at 3405 East Grande Boulevard. It will allow expansion into a kindergarten through 12th grade school with a classical approach focused on civics, character and fundamental academics.
A rendering of the new campus.
“This new building is very exciting for our students, families, teachers and staff. The new space will enable us to serve more families and continue to develop our school culture of parent involvement which directly correlates to student success,” says Paula Biddle, who has served as the assistant campus director since the school first opened in 2012 and is currently serving as the interim campus director.
Premier High School – Arlington Campus
ResponsiveEd opened two new Premier High Schools this year to serve students looking to recover credits as well as those looking to graduate early. The new Premier High School – Arlington Campus is located at 551 Ryan Plaza Drive.
Premier High School of Arlington is still accepting applications.
Campus Director Jennice Perez comes to the new school from Harmony Public Schools where she served as campus principal. This year she is focusing on building a strong team of educators and a positive school environment.
“I am very excited for this school year. I believe our school is unique and will be a great resource for the Arlington area. We have a big campus, which gives us a lot of space to grow in the coming years,” says Perez.
Premier High School – San Antonio Campus – West
As a compliment to the Premier High School on the east side of San Antonio, ResponsiveEd opened a Premier High School – San Antonio Campus on the west side of the city. This new credit recovery school is located at 6218 NW Loop 410, and is the 35th Premier High School in Texas.
“We are in a great location to serve students. In our inaugural year we are offering flexible schedules, instructional support for academics, as well as focused pull-outs for students needing to pass EOCs and STAAR exams. As the school year progresses we look forward to finding additional ways our school can support the local community,” says Campus Director Manuela Allen. She comes from Amarillo, where she served as the campus director at Premier High School of Amarillo, and brings with her 17 years of experience in education.
