Old Town Academy Charter School

The education there is very good. My daughter likes going to school this year, not so much years passed. More on that in a moment. I like the style of teaching but am concerned if it will change due to common core. The 8^th graders have ipads they can bring home with a cdma internet access. The pads are secured so the kids cant use them for games. The number of field trips is great! I feel some things are not learnable sitting at a desk.
My peeves are as follows;
Lack of action take by staff to eliminate a bulling issue. Several parents complained and yet it went on for 3 years. That student. did not return this year, and for the first time in a long time my daughter enjoys going to school.
The pick up and drop off is far to chaotic, parents are constantly blocking residents from their driveways and I have know idea how we get away with completely blocking the bike lane twice a day.
All and all a 4 out of 5 is a good score to me.

OTA all the way! — When I was searching for a school for my daughter and dissatisfied with the local school, Charter School lotteries were to the best options. Sadly, the lists were long and odds even longer but there was a beacon of hope in the form of a new school opening that year.
Flash forward 3 years and Old Town Academy is now recognized among the best schools in San Diego and I’m lucky to have both my kids thriving, growing, learning and enjoying school there. Thanks to Chris and Tom (co-​founders), OTA continues to prosper and grow.

Old Town Academy exceeded all of our expectations. My only complaint is that my son is graduating and there is no High School set up as of yet. The curriculum engaged our son and he learned not only to think, but to formulate conclusions that defined his direction. He learned to manage his time and to use strategies that are prudent and congruent with his style of learning. We were a little hesitant at first as we pulled our son from a very prestigious middle school school, that was teaching how to memorize, instead of learning. It was a race to nowhere. We were concerned that OTA couldn’t provide the vigorous pace at which our son requires for his learning style. He’s an independent thinker, and always wants more. Most traditional styles of approaching education would corral his enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge, leaving him frustrated. Our son was able to go at the pace that was in alignment with how fast he wanted to go.
OTA help to nourish and strengthen his character and helped him to see the value of cooperating with his peers, through hands on project based learning. What we love as parents about the format is that the teachers know your child. The personal attention given to the student provides them with being valued as a person. This transfers into self-​esteem and confidence. Our son enjoyed art, music and the robotics team. The teachers are easy to talk to and always available. Education is changing. We love the Director’s vision about where education is taking us, needing more than just test scores. OTA has the template and the strong leadership under the direction of Tom Donahue to show our children a much needed different approach to learning. We would highly recommend Old Town Academy.

Excellence and Equality is the motto and that’s exactly what the school exemplifies and offers to every child. We love this school. I don’t believe money could buy a better education. This is the best school in CA and definitely San Diego.