High-Achieving Charter Chain to Start Private Schools
February 21, 2014
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EmailOne of the country’s most successful charter schools has decided to buck the trend and start private schools, rather than the more prevalent conversion of private into charter. Arizona’s BASIS.ed plans to open elite private schools, starting in California and New York.
“The mission of BASIS.ed is to raise the standards of US education to the highest international levels,” said Mark Reford, BASIS.ed CEO. “When we can do that with charter schools, we will do it. When a private school is a better fit, we do that.”
Several of BASIS’s charter locations rank among the highest, not just in the United States, but in the world: Students in its Tucson and Scottsdale campuses beat out every other country that participated in international tests in 2012. Each BASIS student takes an average of 10 Advanced Placement exams and nets a score high enough to get college credit without taking a college class.
This may make BASIS the first charter school chain to open private schools, said Jason Bedrick, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom.
“They offer and incredibly high-quality product,” Bedrick said, “and I expect that especially somewhere like Silicon Valley with a lot of people who are highly educated who appreciate what a good education means, especially one like BASIS offers, and are willing to pay for it.”
High-End Niche
While many, if not most, charter schools target gaps at the low end of the market—poor kids who can
While many, if not most, charter schools target gaps at the low end of the market—poor kids who can