Valley Charter Schools

Valley Charter Schools (“VCS”) is a high performing network of public schools serving the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Valley Charter School was founded ten years ago by parents and educators who shared an inspired vision of creating an exceptional public school focused on academic excellence, diversity, and community. Today, VCS consists of two schools: Valley Charter Elementary (grades K-5) and Valley Charter Middle (grades 6-8).  The organization has a $6.6 million annual budget with over five dozen full and part time staff. Our work is framed by the following Design Elements:

• Design Element 1: We value process over product. Learning is experiential, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and relevant to students’ lives.
• Design Element 2: Social emotional development and self-advocacy are the foundational principles of student learning and personal growth.
• Design Element 3: We develop effective communicators who are able to connect with varied audiences.
• Design Element 4: Learning is a social process accomplished through authentically collaborative work.
• Design Element 5: We are committed to building intentionally diverse schools. Our core values and foundational principles are authentically realized through this diverse community.

Valley Charter School student population reflects the rich diversity of the San Fernando Valley, with parents and community members providing invaluable and consistent support to the school. We are proud of the high degree of connection between the rhetoric of our mission statement and the actual classroom practice in our schools. Through our mission to become an intentionally diverse community, Valley Charter School is becoming a national model for urban public education.