North Star Public Charter School

As a high student who has attended North Star since its opening in 2003, I have a lot of experience at the school. The principal (as of the 2011-2012 school year) is amazing, the teachers are great and its an all around great environment. When I hear my friends at different schools talk about what goes on in other larger public schools, I am so glad I go to North Star. The small-school environment isn't for everyone, but it's nice that all the teachers and students know each other and are involved. As far as academics go, your get out what you put in. Just look at our test scores, and you'll see we are far above average. If you work hard- you will learn, if you slack off and cheat, you can get a 4.0, but you won't be learning. Again, North Star isn't for everyone, but if you don't like big public schools, you should definitely look into attending North Star.

We love this school. A bit much on the homework side. We find our kids very engaged in school and love to go.
--Submitted by a parent

I love this school. I am a student at North Star and have been for two years. At first we had a principal that was not the best and budget woes. Now our principal is amazing. We still have issues with money. But with this economy, what school doesn't? The teachers are amazing and supportive. I am writing essays and reading literature as a freshman that my mom didn't start doing until college. The math program is excellent. I love the science program. I always feel like the school is pushing me to the next level. The musical electives are great with well qualified teachers teaching them. The electives creates a real sense of community. I love to go watch the basketball games, they are really fun. Overall I can`t say enough great things about this school.

Wow! I am beyond impressed with North Star Charter School. The curriculum, teaching methods, environment and staff are top notch. The new principle is friendly and encouraging to the students. My daughter previously attended a neighborhood public school before attending NSCS. It took her a few months to catch up to the advanced level of teaching that North Star Charter School provides, but I view this as a positive thing. Time is utilized and the kids are always busy learning. The teachers keep open communication with parents and have sent weekly updates regarding what the children are working on in the classroom. It's helpful to know what my child is learning and reassuring to know that she is learning at accelerated levels.
--Submitted by a parent

As to the persons post that said that their students are beyond students from public schools, that is not true. My high school student is way more challenged at their local public high school this year. We were a North Star family for years until we finally made the switch this past year. We have one sophomore and one in elementary. The sophomore was a very strong student at North Star, 4.0. This student is still a very strong student, 4.0, but has had to work much harder at the public school to keep the 4.0. Also the public school is preparing their students for college in ways that North Star can't. I am not going to talk bad about North Star because we still love so many of the teachers who work there, but I will say that it was not all it was talked up to be. I will also say that we know many families who have made the switch and hands down they are saying the same things. The elementary at North Star is fabulous. Maybe the MS is better than regular public MS since we don't have any experiences to base an assessment on, but the high school falls very short. I didn't feel like i could rate the principal since we haven't been there with the new one.
--Submitted by a parent

North Star will have a great high school if they are serious about bringing in Chemistry and Physics back into their curriculum. The maths and language programs are truly outstanding, but not so for high school science. As I know, they have only Biology in high school and another that supposedly covers chemistry. With the ever increasing technology in our environment, how would the high-schoolers have a basic understanding of the gadgets around us? Hopefully, the new principal will be proactive on this issue and will lay a clear plan for different careers while adding Physics.
--Submitted by a parent

It's amazing to me to see all the bad posts on here about North Star. My Kids have been in ALL the local schools. Star Elem, Galileo, and North Star. Out of all these schools, North Star out shines by far! I have a high schooler attending North Star and he thrives! Very outgoing child that loves the different opportunities he can have by attending a smaller High School. As far as the problems that the other posters have said about the high school-its brand new... of course there will be bumps and adjustments along the way... with any school. IB program is fantastic and has better opportunities for our children in the future. My Middle Schooler and elementary schoolers are thriving as well. They are grade levels above the public school. I appreciate them at least trying to hold to a code of conduct and dress code. If I knew years ago what I know now, I would have put them in sooner! Good Luck.!
--Submitted by a parent

This school has nothing but financial and faculty problems since 2009, what origanaly started out as an IB/business school is becoming more like a Spanish language school. They emphasize Spanish and English courses and neglect every other subject.

This is my son's 2nd yr at NSCS, but not until a couple of months ago we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel with him catching up. The school has a very advanced program and for the kids to be succesful, parent involvement is a must. So far his 3rd and 4th grade teachers had and have been very supportive. It's true the school needs a lot of fiancial help, what I don't understand is why a lot of parents get upset when the school is asking for extra school supplies or any other form of donations. The school is not like a regular one, it doesn't get 100% government funded and that's why we need to help, so our children can keep getting this great education by great teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

North Star is supposed to be a Harbor method school, when in fact, it is the staff that bullies the students. My daughter has been discriminated against because of a few wrong choises, she is a bright student and does not deserve the unfair treatment. The education is great, but the teachers are horrible at explaining. The students are mean, and form cliques, and exclude children. The head of education is awful, along with the head of school, she barely speaks english. They have no money whatsoever and cannot even afford paper. The funding is terrible. the IB programme was not thought out well at all, I suggest NOT putting your child through this, it is practically dehumanizing. I'm surprised it is still running, thanks goodness for the active parrents who care about the children, i dont know where the school would be without them.
--Submitted by a parent