Details Emerge on College Park Academy

Old Friends School on Calvert Road - a possible site for proposed College Park Academy

In last night’s council work session, the Council agreed to submit a letter of intent to establish a new Charter school to the Prince George’s county public schools.

According to the letter, the mission of College Park Academy is to provide a rigorous and innovative “personalized middle college” program serving grades 7-12. Students at College Park Academy will not only have access to a top-quality college preparatory program that rivals the best in the nation, but also the opportunity to graduate from high school with significant college credit — all while enjoying a cutting-edge learning approach that adapts to their individual needs.

College Park Academy Public Charter School proposes to offer the following:
· A top-quality, college-preparatory curriculum aligned to state and Common Core standards, including courses offered in partnership with the University.
· High school courses/instruction integrated into the middle school and college-level courses/instruction integrated into the high school to facilitate students graduating with up to 60 college credits.
· Intellectually challenging projects to super-charge learning.
· A blended learning approach to maximize student achievement while personalizing the school experience.
· A safe, high-expectations campus where students will thrive.

Program Focus/Theme of the charter will be “Personalized Middle College.”

The student enrollment breakdown, by year, and the appropriate grades to be served is as follows:

Year (based on opening year)	Grades	Number of Students
2013-2014	7-9	150
2014-2015	7-10	275
2015-2016	7-11	425
22016-2017	7-12	525
2017-2018	7-12	575

Grade levels to be served: At opening: 9th Grade At full enrollment: 7th-12th Grade

Though the document is not specific saying that the physical location of College Park Academy Public Charter School “is within the greater College Park vicinity, at a specific site to be determined”, the old Friends Community School at Calvert Road has been eyed as a possible location.

The school is not willing to share a location with another school, if available.