We're looking for a private school or charter school in Oceanside. Our son is 8 and is in the GATE program in North Terrace but isn't being challenged enough. The fact is they don't even have a program. They don't do anything special for gifted students. Anyways, we're wanting to switch him hopefully before the new school year starts. If you can recommend a private school or charter school I'd appreciate it. Thanks! 

My daughters attended the Classical Academy / Coastal Academy. That is, they were enrolled in the 'C" track, homeschool track of coastal. The curriculum, facilities and people were really great...we only withdrew because we're a little more "unschooly" and I felt like we were mostly putting on a dog-n-pony show once a month for our educational advisor. But the A and B in-school tracks are in high demand, and are good programs. It's right down College Blvd, across the street from the Navy Fed, just north of where College meets Oceanside Blvd. 

Liberal do you know the rates? Ive been looking at private schools since there is no charters around here and they are so expensive. 

Charters in Oceanside according to greatschools.org:

http://www.greatschools.org/california/oceanside/11126-Pacific-View-Charter-School/
http://www.greatschools.org/california/oceanside/12561-Coastal-Academy/

There are also a number of private schools listed if you look. 

The charters for elementary are home school programs. Or at least that's all I could find. 

The charters for elementary are home school programs. Or at least that's all I could find. 

I don't know anything about them, I just ran a search on greatschools and linked them for the OP. There were many private schools listed as well. Hopefully she will find something that will work well for them. :)

OP - I have a gifted child and I know it is frustrating when the gifted programs are the first cut when the budget is a problem. I have a learning disabled child as well and honestly I would rather she get the services if only one of them can. I work with my gifted child's teacher to supplement his education at home as well as in the classroom. That might be an option for you as well. Good luck! 

Thank you so much! I looked into charter schools more and I think we might go the private school route. You bring up a good point about supplementing our son's education at home and in the classroom. 

Charter schools are FREE, public schools. You just sometimes have to be waitlisted to get a spot. They keep class sizes down to a minimum so not everyone that wants to go gets a spot right away.

The option they give you at Classical / Coastal is you can put your name in for a spot in the classroom side of the school (A or B tracks) and while you're waiting, you can enroll in the C track and do the work at home. They provide you complete lesson plans, loan you the books you need, and you can call or email whenever you need anything. And they keep you accountable because they have 5 week work periods, and you have to report in for a conference in order to get the new materials for the next 5 weeks. 

you can enroll in the C track and do the work at home.
My 9 year old wouldnt make it through the school year, lol. I cant do home school. Charter schools are FREE, public schools.
Yes but they dont have to follow the guidelines that state ran public schools do. They get paid on how well the children excel. Ive visited a few and really like the concept. To bad we couldnt get one on base, or even close to base, lol 

We have our son enrolled at Tri City Christian Academy....LOVE IT!!! The teachers are AMAZING!!!! their graduates have gone on to Princeton, UCLA, Texas A&M...and much more... 

Yes but they dont have to follow the guidelines that state ran public schools do.

Not EXACTLY, per se...but they do have to follow the state standards for grade level stuff. Like if all 5th graders in CA have to study CA history, missions, etc., the charter schools also have to. They ADD things that many public schools do not have, like music instruction in some cases.

When I went, I will say that I was lured in with the temtation of "we provide the standard curriculum, and we give you an allowance each month for supplemental stuff you want to use. So when I went in with my list of things I wanted...things that fit into the yearly dollar amount they told me I could spend...they nixed a lot of it. Turned out they only contribute toward the BASIC areas of curriculum: Math, history, science, and language arts / reading. And if you use their science books, they won't pay for you to buy any other science materials, since you're already "stocked." So although I liked the concept of the charter, it turned out we are too eclectic to fit into their mold. Our studies are all over the place.

But back to the original comment, yes, they ARE responsible for teaching from the state standards. They just use different approaches and materials then traditional public schools. They're also still responsible for the prescribed testing regimen. 

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