Thousand Oaks, CA – Compass Charter Schools announced today its merger with REALM Charter School in Berkeley, a project-based learning public charter serving grades 6-12. The partnership was originally conceived in December 2018, and after careful deliberations, a merger agreement was approved by both Boards of Directors in January 2019. The two schools are combining forces to provide additional educational options to scholars in northern California.
“Our team is thrilled to connect with the REALM team as we work together to provide families throughout northern California with a top-tier, scholar-centered education,” said Compass Superintendent & CEO J.J. Lewis. “We share a mission of preparing scholars through a personalized learning environment which prepares them to be both college and career ready.”
REALM Charter School utilizes project-based learning to increase scholar engagement and academic achievement. Upon merging, the REALM program will continue to operate as a classroom-based charter out of its current middle and high school locations, while CCS continues to collaborate with the REALM team to provide operational guidance and assistance.
“It has always been the belief of REALM that all scholars can be prepared for the 21st-century workforce if empowered with the right tools,” said REALM Executive Director Victor Diaz. “We are thrilled to join forces with Compass in order to provide that opportunity to more scholars.”
The merger has also opened the door for new opportunities, including a new independent study program for the 2019-20 school year. The program, offered entirely online, is powered by Compass Charter Schools. It features award-winning curriculum from StrongMind, an online 6–12 curriculum provider designed to engage the adolescent learner with aligned, rigorous interactive and multimedia. Scholars who enroll will receive a personalized educational experience with support from state-certified instructors.
“We are excited that through this merger, not only we will learn best practices in project-based learning, but will be able to share best practices on online learning,” mentioned Lewis. “We are proud that the merger will open another door to meet the unique needs of the community through our online independent study program.”
REALM will continue to be available to scholars who reside in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Stanislaus, with both the classroom-based project-based learning program at the middle and high schools, and independent study program offered online.
Families interested in learning more about all of the educational opportunities offered through Compass and REALM are invited to attend open houses throughout the month of March. Visitors can drop in to meet with staff members, ask questions, and enroll their scholars for the upcoming school year. Open houses are currently scheduled:
| Date | Time | Location | Address | RSVP |
| Tuesday, March 5 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | REALM Middle School | 1798 Scenic Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709 | RSVP here |
| Thursday, March 14 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | REALM High School | 2023 8th St. Berkeley, CA 94710 | RSVP here |
| Tuesday, March 19 | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | REALM Middle School | 1798 Scenic Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709 | RSVP here |
| Thursday, March 28 | 5:30– 6:30 p.m. | REALM High School | 2023 8th St. Berkeley, CA 94710 | RSVP here |
“Our team is looking forward to sharing more about REALM at our various Open Houses throughout March,” shared Diaz. “There is a lot of energy and excitement around, not only about our merger with Compass, but on the educational program we offer the community. Stop in to see for yourself how project-based learning might fit your student’s educational needs.”
Enrollment opens Friday, March 1 for REALM and Compass Charter Schools. Learn more at CompassCharters.org.
About Compass Charter Schools
Compass Charter Schools (CCS) is a WASC-accredited virtual public charter school serving thousands of scholars throughout the state. Catering to TK-12 grade scholars, CCS offers the choice of either their homeschool or online academic program. CCS is committed to creating a collaborative virtual learning community, inspiring scholars to appreciate the ways in which arts and sciences nurture a curiosity for lifelong learning, and preparing scholars to take responsibility for their future successes.
For more information about CCS, visit www.compasscharters.org, via Twitter (https://twitter.com/CompassCs), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CompassCS/) or on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/compasscs/).