Atlantis Charter School received its initial accreditation from the prestigious New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), becoming one of only three charter high schools in Massachusetts to receive this recognition.
The Committee on Public Secondary Schools voted to grant Atlantis initial accreditation into the Association for its high school program during its meeting on June 24. The Committee notified Atlantis of the decision by letter.
“The designation is affirmation of the hard work put in to create a high quality educational choice for high school students here in the South Coast region,” said Robert Beatty, Executive Director of Atlantis Charter School.
Atlantis used its autonomy as a charter school to create an innovative Career Academy program to prepare students for 21st century jobs and address the growing skills-gap in technology, healthcare and other in-demand fields. The academies exist side-by-side with a traditional college preparatory curriculum as well as honors and advanced placement course.
“We’re honored to see the NEASC acknowledge the value of our progressive approach to educating students and our ongoing efforts to transform Atlantis into a nationally recognized model of success,” said Michael Lauro, Associate Executive Director at Atlantis.
In its letter, the Committee commended Atlantis for “the collaboration of the board, executive director and site leader in incorporating the school’s 21st century learning expectations.” The Committee also commended Atlantis for using adjunct instructors to teach Academy classes.
“It’s hard to overstate the benefits of having teachers in our career academies with real-life experience,” said Lauro. “Our adjunct instructors enable juniors and seniors in the academy classes to develop relevant, in-demand skills to meet the needs of modern employers and support positive economic growth in the Commonwealth and beyond.”
In June, Atlantis graduated its first-ever senior class. The Class of 2018 was the first to participate in the career academies. 100% of graduates were accepted into and plan to start college in the Fall.
Atlantis is now accepting applications for Kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2018-2019 school year. Entry into Atlantis is gained through public lottery. The next lottery will be held in August. For more details and to download an application, click here.
