Celebrating charter school week
Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake plans to do some celebrating in May.
This year, National Charter School Week will take place from May 1-7. Charter schools have been allowed in Illinois since 1996.
In recognition of this special week, Prairie Crossing Charter School will host a free public viewing of the film “Waiting for Superman,” a documentary about charter schools in the United States. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 3.
Visitors will view the flick in the Byron Colby Barn near the charter school off Jones Point Road at Route 45 in Grayslake.
A moderated discussion after the viewing will take place.
Because charter schools are a relatively new phenomenon, many people are not aware of the true nature and purpose of these schools. Charter schools are public schools of choice, open to any student within the resident district.
Admission is made by public lottery. Charter schools are designed to explore alternative avenues of education. Students at charter schools do not pay tuition. The charter school does not benefit from any local property tax monies, relying only upon per capita tuition for its students to determine its total revenue.
Prairie Crossing Charter School is the only charter school in Lake County. It is chartered under the authority of the Illinois State Board of Education.
Established in 1999, Prairie Crossing started with an inaugural class of kindergartners, first- and second-grade students. The school has grown over the years and now serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with enrollment of 390 students and a waiting list of 160 students for the 2011-12 academic year.
Prairie Crossing has been consistently rated among the top schools in Lake County academically since its inception. Most recently, the public charter school was awarded the Academic Excellence Award for 2009 and 2010.
It is a free, public charter school with a curriculum centered on the environment. Any student enrolled in Fremont Elementary District 79 or Woodland Elementary District 50 is eligible for admission.