Charter School Mom: BASIS Deserves High Praise

As an Arizona parent, I was excited to see America’s Best Public High Schools rankings, released this week by US News and World Report. It comes as no surprise to our family that BASIS charter schools continue to dominate, with six BASIS schools in Arizona making the top ten list.
In 2010, I attended a “Waiting for Superman” screening and education panel in Phoenix. Representatives from BASIS were in attendance, promoting the new school campuses opening across Arizona. I loved everything they had to say.
At the time, our daughter Sophia was in 5^thgrade and was attending the local district school.  Although it was an A-rated school and she was doing very well, I knew she deserved more.
A few months later, I stood in line at the library to register my daughter for 6^thgrade at the new BASIS Peoria.
At first, Sophia struggled to keep up with a curriculum far ahead of what she was used to. However, in her years as a BASIS student, she’s been surrounded by dedicated educators who celebrate a love of learning. And she’s benefitted from constant support and encouragement from a diverse faculty and student body who share one thing in common – a thirst for knowledge.
Sophia started taking AP courses in 8^thgrade and has studied abroad in Greece, Italy, China, France and England. These are the kinds of opportunities she only had because of BASIS.
Sophia is graduating in a few short weeks as a member of BASIS Peoria’s class of 2018. She was recently asked to speak to the 8^thgrade class and their families about high school. She encouraged her younger peers to take advantage of everything this wonderful school has to offer — not just an amazing education, but a whole lot of fun too!
We are thankful that our five children have been able to access the education that meets their individual needs. Over their school years, we have availed ourselves of great private, district and tuition-free charter schools.
School choice – just one more reason why Arizona is a great place to raise a family!