To ensure your child receives the best possible primary, intermediate, and secondary education for their unique personality, learning style, talents, and interests, you can:
- Find a home in one of the region’s higher-priced neighborhoods, thus landing a spot in a consistently top-ranked school district like San Dieguito Union High, Poway Unified, or Coronado Unified;
- Commit to the private school path, knowing annual tuitions can cost as much as a new car;
- Navigate your school district’s open enrollment options, filing paperwork with crossed fingers that the system will randomly select your child for an awesome school;
- Teach them yourself;
- Or none of the above. Maybe the public school nearest your home is already great!
While there’s a lot to be said for neighborhood public schools—no tuition or complicated application requirements, a sense of community, and that old-fashioned walk to school—parents in the San Diego region have a dizzying array of enrollment options for educating their kids, including:
School of your “Choice”
The School Choice Program allows parents to apply for enrollment in any public school, essentially allowing any student to have access to the same education regardless of their address. Still, barriers exist: School Choice kids don’t get district-provided transportation, spots are offered only when space is available, the application period is just over a month long, and parents must wait till spring to find out if they’ll get any of their top three choices.
Magnet Programs
Public magnet schools cover all state and federal curriculum standards, but also let students zero in on in-depth academia—like foreign language immersion, STEAM (aka science, technology, engineering, art, and math), and International Baccalaureate studies—that focus on creating more worldly, well-rounded students. Be forewarned: Even though these are public schools, the demand for that magnet cachet makes them extra tough to “choice” into. Have a budding engineer on your hands? Consider Linda Vista Elementary STEAM Magnet. Was your artistic middle schooler born for the stage? The Creative, Performing, and Media Arts magnet in Clairemont might be a good fit.
Special Education Sites
Each school district handles special education a little differently, but all provide separate classroom settings for students who need individualized support. The types of services offered to students with special needs are dictated by a legal document called an Individual Education Program. While some students can study in a general education classroom with special education support, others go to specialized private and public schools. There are about three dozen special needs schools in the San Diego region, from the public Sevick School in El Cajon to the private Aseltine School in North Park.
Online Learning
Traditional school campuses don’t suit every student. Many San Diego school districts offer some level of independent online study for students who have failed or missed homework, have health or family issues, or are pursuing careers. There are a handful of accredited online high schools, including San Diego Public Library’s Career Online High School, while schools like San Diego Unified’s iHigh Virtual Academy offer students self-directed online curricula, with state- and district-mandated face-to-face class time for subjects like science labs, PE, and some electives.
Homeschooling
Independent study programs are available through public and private schools, allowing students to work from home on grade-appropriate curricula. Parents can also file paperwork with the state of California to establish their own private school, or to teach their own child as a state-credentialed teacher. Many San Diego independent study programs offer homeschoolers some of the amenities of a traditional school experience, like co-op field trips, parent meetings, and student clubs. For instance, the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District operates the Greater San Diego Academy charter homeschool for students in transitional kindergarten through senior year, providing textbooks, assistance from credentialed teachers, and enrichment programs in art, dance, music, and computer technology.
Private Schools
Can’t put a price on your student’s education? Want smaller class sizes, religious education, or even a gender-segregated academic experience? San Diego’s network of some 300 private schools offers some the best curriculum money can buy. Annual tuitions can run into the $30,000 range at schools like the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, La Jolla Country Day School and The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, and Francis Parker School in Mission Hills and Linda Vista.
Public Charter Schools
Still considered public schools (read: no tuition), public charter schools are independently operated by teachers, parents, and community groups. Enrollment at these schools is typically offered in a lottery system that’s separate from the “choice” program. The goal here is innovative education: Charter schools can emphasize a curriculum including technology, art, leadership, and community involvement. Prime examples include downtown San Diego’s colorful K-8 Urban Discovery Academy and E3 Civic High, which is housed within the Central Library. There are also 13 different High Tech campuses in Point Loma, Chula Vista, and San Marcos for students in K-12, and the K-6 Leonardo da Vinci Health Sciences Charter School in Chula Vista.
Public-Private Partnership Schools
Some schools don’t fit into the traditional public school mold. Take the downtown San Diego Monarch School, a K-12 public-private partnership between the nonprofit Monarch School Project and the San Diego County Office of Education’s Juvenile Court and Community Schools educational program. The school serves about 350 homeless youth, the largest and most comprehensive school of its kind in the nation. Through fundraising and corporate donations, the school is able to provide students with academic, emotional, social, and life skills, as well as basic needs like food, clothing, and school supplies.
Finding the Right School for Your Child
