Primavera Online School is a publicly funded charter school serving grades K–12 in Arizona. The school was founded in 2001 by Damian Creamer[2][3] and was made possible by a program established by the Arizona Legislature in 1998. Primavera targets students at risk of not graduating from conventional high schools, estimating that 70% of their students are high risk. In 2018 Primavera was ranked the #2 charter school in Arizona.[4] Primavera added grades K-5 in partnership with Sequoia Choice for the 2020/2021 school year.[5]
| Primavera Online School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
2471 N. Arizona Ave., Building 1 Chandler, AZ | |
| Information | |
| Type | Charter school, virtual school |
| Established | 2001 |
| Founder | Damian Creamer |
| School district | American Virtual Academy |
| Superintendent | Jason Tourville |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrollment | 3,299[1] (2016) |
| Color(s) | green, white |
| Mascot | Panther |
| Website | www |
Structure
editPrimavera Online School is accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED.)[6] There are no fees for students aged 14–22, and only students 22 or younger are accepted.[7] Two types of students attend Primavera: full-time and concurrent-enrolled. Primavera offers two types of diplomas. The standard diploma requires 22 credits while the advanced scholastic diploma requires 23 credits and has a stronger emphasis on math, science, and foreign languages.
Primavera has open enrollment throughout the year, and offers block scheduling. Students take two courses for each six-week block. Each course equals one credit. All teachers are certified and are required to stay in constant contact with each student throughout the course.
Primavera claims a student-to-teacher ratio of 33:1,[8] although records at the Arizona Department of Education indicate 68:1.[2]
Results
editIn 2017–18, there were 21,782 students enrolled in grades six through 12.[2] In 2017's state standardized tests, under a quarter of its students passed mathematics and around a third passed English, both below the state average.[2]
The school had the third-highest drop out rate in Arizona in 2017, with 49% dropping out; around 10 times the state average.[2]
Finances
editPrimavera, like other charter schools in Arizona, is publicly funded per pupil, although at a reduced rate due to being online-only.[2]
Primavera opened in 2001 under the management of Primavera Technical Learning Center, a nonprofit charter management organization.[9] In 2015, the school's charter was transferred to for-profit education management organization Flipswitch and its subsidiary, American Virtual Academy, Inc. Flipswitch was renamed Strongmind. It has one shareholder, Damian Creamer.[8]
Creamer has been criticized for using this funding structure to pay himself an $8.8 million yearly salary and making large payments to other companies he owns.[2] The school has also been criticized for teacher salaries and diverting educating funding to a for-profit investment portfolio, worth $36 million in 2015.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Public School Search". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Primavera online charter school CEO pays himself another $1.3 million from school funds". azcentral. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "Digital Learning: Is It Time to Give up or Double Down?". November 7, 2018.
- ^ "Ranking Arizona: Top 10 charter schools". August 2018.
- ^ "Primavera Online Elementary K-5 | Home".
- ^ "Cognia - Institution Summary".
- ^ "How to Enroll | Enroll Today! | Primavera Online High School".
- ^ a b c Harris, Craig. "Primavera charter CEO gets $8.8M despite having Arizona's third-highest dropout rate". AZCentral. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "Primavera Form 990". ProPublica. Retrieved November 24, 2018.