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Open Alternative School

Public | K-8 | 174 students

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4 stars

Based on 25 ratings

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31 reviews of this school

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Posted April 21, 2011

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We have had our children at OAS for a total of 9 years so far. My eldest is now in Jr. high and thriving both socially as well as academically. I believe this is proof of the wonderful teaching going on at OAS. The hands-on approach to learning academics along with the emphasis on the importance of learning to be socially responsible, have made this wonderful school stand out. Core Group is an amazing part of each day's curriculum in every grade. It is a vehicle for dealing with challenges that may come up for students during the day, as well as appreciations that want to be expressed. Core Group fosters a safe and effective environment for students to work out social challenges. The two head teachers that have been at OAS since my children have attended, have held both teaching, as well as administrative credentials. The philosophy of Progressive Education at OAS means that administrators and teachers are consistently learning new methods and theories to advance the learning that takes place. Many parents, like myself, are also involved in the learning that happens at OAS, and the best part for our family is that the environment at this school is organic and authentic.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted April 20, 2011

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Our children have learned to learn, not just memorize. They've learned to have an appreciation for education while also learning how to respect others. Granted, our children started in kindergarden and had the full OAS experience while others (bullies?) may have more trouble adjusting when coming in later. This is a problem in all schools. Our eldest child is a straight A student in junior high after attending seven years of OAS. And while I'm pleased at the grades I'm more pleased to know that my children enjoy school and learning. As far as leadership goes, OAS has had some unfortunate circumstances due to budget cuts, etc. that have required an inordinate amount of principal time and effort. Overall I'm pleased with leadership and the parent participation in the school. The school does a great job with it's limited resources and it's amazing that it is a free public school open to anyone in the Santa Barbara Elementary School District!
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted April 19, 2011

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I notice a lot of the reviews are from 2009. This is our second and final year at OAS and I feel it is slipping away. We have had trouble with bullying all year. The teachers are great but their hands are tied in matters of getting the kids to listen or behave. The current head teacher (a.k.a. principal) is not credentialed or, in my opinion, qualified to run a school. This fact is slowly degrading the quality of education and the experience at OAS.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted October 12, 2010

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OAS is a wonderful school, that is truly a community of teachers, staff, children and parents who come together to offer a unique, engaging, and effective learning experience.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted August 17, 2010

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My children have excelled at the Open Alternative School! Academically, they are pushed to their potential. OAS has the ability to individualize instruction which sets this school above all other public schools. The students at OAS are responsible, caring and bright. I am proud to say my children attend OAS.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted May 4, 2010

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OAS is criticized for it's lack of academics by people who have never set foot on our campus. The truth is OAS students are superior academically. Here are a few facts... -3 out of 4 of the La Cumbre students chosen for the Tri-County Gate Leadership Conference were OAS students. -The two essays awarded for the ADL 7th-12th grade contest were OAS students currently in the 7th grade. -The Renaissance Club (Honors Club) has an extremely high percentage of OAS students. Get the facts on OAS, it's an amazing school!
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted April 22, 2010

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My children love going to school! They are flowering in an engaging environment that creates a love for learning and instills respect for others.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted February 22, 2010

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OAS has a style of teaching that encourages individuality, independence and self worth... yet, not all of the teachers have mastered the delicate balance between this type of child centered instruction and the need for clear expectations and structure. The school is a parent co-op, but leans more on parents than any other co-op I've been exposed to. Be prepared to participate financially and physicially in every class activity. Their lunch program is excellent and the on campus child care teacher is its most valuable asset.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted October 3, 2009

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The people and the relationships and the caring are the best! Kids are not squashed but allowed to blossom at their own individual rate.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 23, 2009

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Open Alternative School has been a great place for my 6th grader. He's learned a lot about treating people with respect, feeling confident his his ideas and abilities, excelling in creative writing, math and the sciences. Most of all, he has a love of learning that he can take with him to all his other places of learning throughout his life.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 23, 2009

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OAS's non traditional way of teaching enriches the students life in ways that 'traditional' classrooms don't. It allows the student to not just grow as a student but also as a person. They teach math, reading and other 'technical' elementary school classes but also teach them about interaction, how to express themselves, and how to develop their own learning style.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 18, 2009

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I love participating at OAS. As a parent I got to collaborate with the children in writing an original theater play. It was the funnest thing I've done in my life. I'm doing it again this year, since it was so fun. Children are creative, and OAS encourages their creativity and free thinking. Our children were slow to start reading. OAS teachers didn't rush them or punished them for it. They knew the children would come to reading at their own speed. Now they both love reading and devour books. If they had been singled out for not reading in their earlier years, I'm sure they wouldn't love reading now. Thanks for reading, Isaac
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 18, 2009

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OAS teaches kids to think...not just follow instructions
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 18, 2009

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It has amazing, dedicated teachers. The school has a healthy lunch program that includes food from the school's organic garden. There is a strong emphasis on outdoor and environmental education including camping trips from 2nd grade on. It also has annual class plays. Core group sharing is a daily event where students discuss 'concerns' and 'appreciations' and there is a Peer Mediation Program. All in all a strong, small, (k-8) progressive school.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 17, 2009

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Freedom to teach our kids the way they individually need to learn and not put them in a box.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 17, 2009

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I love Alternative School because along with the basics, my children are learning how to be caring, sharing, citizens of the world.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 16, 2009

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A great school where children learn to love themselves and learning.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 16, 2009

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I love Open Alternative School because children are taught to respect each other and challenge themselves.
—Submitted by a parent

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Posted September 16, 2009

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OAS - Love Where You Learn OAS is an oasis (ha ha) for humane, thoughtful and caring education. It is an overwhelmingly undervalued community resource that would benefit immensely from any injection of funding. Their staff is the most committed and industrious group of teachers I have ever had the pleasure and honor of knowing.

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Posted September 16, 2009

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I love our teachers, especially Ann. They have such great respect and love for the children as individuals.
—Submitted by a parent

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Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

	Ethnicity	This school	State average
	White	57%	27%
Hispanic	27%	51%
Two or more races	12%	3%
Asian	3%	11%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1%	1%
Black	1%	7%
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander	0%	1%

	This school	District average	State average
Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program ¹	25%	N/A	54%
English language learners ²	5%	N/A	24%

		Language	This school	State average
		Spanish	93%	85%
	All other non-English languages	7%	1%

	This school	District average	State average
Average class size	22	N/A	25

	This school	District average	State average
Average years teaching in district	10	N/A	11
Average years teaching	14	N/A	13

	This school	District average	State average
Full credential	100%	N/A	96%
Emergency credential or waiver	0%	N/A	2%

Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

Get directions »

4025 Foothill Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
Website: Click here
Phone: (805) 683-3127

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All Students	36%
Females	n/a
Males	17%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	33%
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	47%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	44%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	29%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	46%
Females	n/a
Males	58%
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	50%
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	47%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	50%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	47%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	31%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	33%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	25%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	62%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	58%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	58%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	71%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	75%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	69%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	60%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	67%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	57%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	70%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	64%
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	92%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	69%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	39%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	40%
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	58%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	41%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	59%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	57%
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	n/a
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	75%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	63%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

All Students	78%
Females	n/a
Males	n/a
African American	n/a
Asian	n/a
Filipino	n/a
Hispanic or Latino	n/a
American Indian or Alaska Native	n/a
Pacific Islander	n/a
Samoan	n/a
Other Pacific Islander	n/a
White (not Hispanic)	n/a
Economically disadvantaged	n/a
Non-economically disadvantaged	75%
Students with disability	n/a
Students with no reported disability	88%
English learner	n/a
Fluent-English proficient and English only	78%
Migrant education	n/a
Gifted and talented	n/a
Parent education - not a high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - high school graduate	n/a
Parent education - some college (includes AA degree)	n/a
Parent education - college graduate	n/a
Parent education - graduate school/post graduate	n/a
Parent education - declined to state	n/a

School Leader's name	Gwen Phillips
Special schedule	Year-round
Fax number	(805) 683-2427

Open Alternative School

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4 stars

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31 reviews of this school

769

-6

4 / 10

1 / 10

API Growth scores over time

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769

What is the API?

-6

Change from 2011 to 2012

4 / 10

API Statewide Rank (2011)

1 / 10

API Similar Schools Rank (2011)

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