Compass High School will be opening in the fall of 2013 in Redwood City, California, creating a place where students with unique needs can thrive.
Cofounder Kim Garlinghouse-Jones said the high school will provide an intense, yet rigorous academic program that will challenge students while being mindful of the ways their learning differences alter the way they learn.
“There was a huge gap in education choices for high school students with mild-to-moderate learning differences,” Garlinghouse-Jones said, describing the reasons she brought the school to the San Francisco Bay Area.
“Compass will change the education landscape on the Peninsula,” she said.
The school’s mission statement declares that the academic environment will be designed to strengthen a student’s existing skills, while providing a safe and comfortable social environment that enables them to gain social skills necessary to advance in society.
The curriculum has three main areas of study. Rachel Wylde, executive director of the school, said they will be innovative.
“In addition to our college preparatory and vocational curriculums, we have developed the Essential Skills Program, which will dramatically support the development of academic skills, social skills, organization skills, self-advocacy and life skills,” Wylde said. “Our students will have a chance to learn and master the latest advances in technology.”
Compass High School announced this week that it is now accepting applications for the 2013-2014 school year.
The school is seeking accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, as well as certification as a nonpublic school from the California Department of Education. School administrators expect to complete that process by the end of the 2013-2014 academic school year, and possibly before that,according to the school’s website.
For more information, visit compasshigh.org.
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