Charter schools receiving influx of applicants

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Local charter schools said many parents are contacting us to inquire about available slots.

Xavier Charter School usually gives prospective families five tours a month, but now officials say it is becoming a weekly routine.

Xavier Charter School Registrar Stacey Young said it has gotten to where they are seeing more students on the waitlists.

“Kindergarten is obviously the biggest one,” Young said. “We usually have a hundred students on the waitlist for kindergarten. And around 50 to 70 from first to third grade, and then it kind of tapers off. Last two years though, our secondary, our seventh and eighth grade have been full and kept full and with a waitlist. So, two years in a row, that’s big for us because we’ve always had opening slots seventh through twelfth, and now we are only seeing it ninth through twelfth.”

Head of Schools at Xavier Charter Schools, Gary Moon, said they are receiving inquiries from families who are new to the area and exploring their options.

“Parents have more options in the Magic Valley than they’ve ever had before,” Moon said. “And I think that interest is coming just parents, like I said, trying to find the best fit for their children and what kind of education they want their children to receive.”

Despite the increase in parents reaching out to charter schools for open spots, traditional schools are not losing students, as charter schools do have limited spots.

Superintendent of the Jerome School District Brent Johnson explained that his school district offers job experience and college education opportunities for high school students to earn before graduation.

“For instance, we have a wonderful CTE, Career and Technical Education Program,” Johnson said. “We have many opportunities for our students to excel. They can get an associate degree by the time they graduate. We have great partnerships with the College of Southern Idaho. They can take dual credit classes in all sorts of different associates and majors.”

Both types of schools, charter or not, want to ensure students get a proper education that will help prepare them for the future.

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