finding that these schools in the 49th state are among the top-performing charter schools in the nation.are part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. These charter schools, while part of the public school system, are mostly open to students through a lottery process.
Charter schools are also able to allocate a certain number of seats to kids living in their neighborhood if they wish. Openings come up when a new school year begins, when a family moves out of town, or when a family opts for their student to switch to a different school. “I think the students have a lot more individual attention because it’s a smaller classroom setting,” she added.
Parents take on tasks ranging from chaperoning a field trip to laminating supplies, to helping with classroom activities. “Over the winter break, they might take a class pet home, and that will take care of their volunteer hours because that’s a big job, so there are lots of creative ways to get your volunteer hours,” said Demers.
Demers added, “We don’t have transportation, so that’s probably the biggest barrier for a lot of families, because you have to be able to drive your child to school and pick them up every day.” For this reason, charter schools may not be the best fit for all students. “Some of the kids just really want to be a part of that big school experience,” she said.