The Freedom to Design Your Educational Curriculum
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that are open to all students. Students must reside in the county or an adjacent county to the one in which the charter school is authorized. While they are publicly funded, they are operated independently. Unlike public schools, charter schools have the freedom to design their educational curriculum. Each charter school is unique, with its own mission and approach to learning.
Here at The Cottonwood School, our mission is to provide educational pathways personalized to the student’s interests and learning style. Each learner is unique, and so are our pathways to learning, which meet — and often exceed — statewide standardized goals. The success of our integrative, whole-learner approach to education stems from our exceptional network of support services and credentialed, specially trained homeschool teachers.
The charter school model allows families flexibility. Parents don’t have to send their children to the closest school in their district. Instead, they can choose to enroll their child in the school that best supports the child’s overall education and individual needs. At Cottonwood, parents are in charge of their child’s future. Together we create a safe environment that fosters academic achievement, as well as social and emotional development.
The Cottonwood School also offers a Montessori-inspired hybrid high school program (Cottonwood College Prep Academy) at our El Dorado Hills campus. And like many charter schools, we offer homeschooling options for grades TK–12. Unlike other charters, however, we understand that homeschooling may risk feelings of isolation — for children and parents. That’s why we are deeply committed to nurturing our Cottonwood community through dozens of virtual and in-person activities every month. These well-attended events connect children, families, teachers, and staff and instill the value of working together for a better tomorrow.
A full, enriching education is built on lasting relationships. Cottonwood’s diverse community gives children the opportunity to develop caring, respectful relationships with their peers and teachers — relationships that build over the years. The teachers get to know each child as a unique individual with their own interests and learning style, so the instructors can support the student’s academic, social, and emotional development.