What distinguishes Civitas Schools?
- Over the coming years, Civitas Schools will replicate its rigorous college preparatory high school curriculum in three additional small high schools with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Eight essential curricular principles guide the delivery of all academic instruction at Civitas Schools.
- Civitas Schools operates open enrollment schools in underserved urban areas; however, its schools exclusively offer college preparatory educational programs. All students are welcome to our schools, and all will be given a common course of studies designed to ensure their college readiness.
- A longer school day and longer school year provides additional necessary instruction time to achieve the Civitas Schools mission.
- Civitas Schools are schools of choice. Families who choose a Civitas School are expected to uphold the mission, values and policies espoused by Civitas and the Chicago Charter School Foundation (CCSF). Families must agree to adhere to all rules and regulations designed to promote a productive learning environment.
- High school students are required to complete additional courses in English and writing as a pre-requisite to graduation. Civitas Schools requires students to complete 27 credits to graduate, as opposed to 24 credits required by Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
- For all high school programs, Civitas Schools utilizes the College Board testing system and incorporates into the curriculum the skills requisite necessary for success on the ACT college entrance exam and for success in college. While many other high school programs have “test prep” initiatives in place, Civitas Schools takes a much more sophisticated approach to preparing students. The Civitas Schools curriculum takes the Explore, PLAN, ACT (EPAS) College Readiness Standards and breaks out the skills necessary to succeed on these tests by imbedding these skill developments into instruction in all subject areas.