Willow Creek Academy

Willow Creek Academy
Location
636 Nevada St.
Sausalito, CA 94965
Information
Type Charter school
Established 2001
School district Sausalito Marin City School District
Head of school Royce Conner
Grades K - 8
Number of students 380 (2015-16)
Information 415-331-7530, Ext. 202
Website willowcreekacademy.org

Willow Creek Academy (WCA) is a K-8 public charter school located in Sausalito, California. It is part of the Sausalito Marin City School District and is located on the former campus of Bayside Elementary School next to its namesake, Willow Creek.

The school, which has students from Sausalito and nearby Marin City, was established to keep Sausalito families in the public school system. A 2008 grand jury report from Marin County stated that most graduates of WCA "succeed" in high school and that the WCA test scores are "good"; it added that there is no "notable problem" with student behavior.[1]

In 2011 the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education named Willow Creek Academy one of the top charter schools in California.[2]

History

Willow Creek Academy (WCA) received its charter in 2001 and opened its doors in September 2001 as a K-4 school with 37 students. By 2004-2005, they had 106 students in a K-8 school. Their enrollment for the 2015-16 school year has grown to 380 students. Of the total enrollment, about two fifths of the students live in Marin City, two fifths live in Sausalito, and one fifth live out of district. Of the 84 out-of-district kids, the vast majority are from “revenue limit” districts.

In 2014 the school had 289 students. SMCSD officials stated that year that some area wealthy families decided to go back to public school due to the existence of Willow Creek.[3]

Operations

The school is open to any student living in the school district.[4]

Each parent is required to contribute volunteer time, with at least 50 hours per parent per year. SMCSD superintendent Valerie Pitts stated that parents who have jobs may find difficulties fulfilling this requirement.[4]

Facilities

The school had its offices in a 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) former shipyard office facility that was built in the 1940s. In September 2015 a two-alarm fire occurred, causing severe damage to the building.[5]

Academics

Willow Creek Academy had a cumulative score of 795 on the 2013 CST test, significantly less than the 2012 score of 857,[6] which was less than the peak score reached in 2011. WCA had steadily improved over the seven years from 2004 through 2011, with scores as follows: 674, 709, 738, 829, 826, 856, 882, and 889.[7] Willow Creek attributed the 2012 reduction to rapid growth and has stated that the school's goal is to surpass a cumulative score of 900.[8]

Budget

Willow Creek Academy's budget for the 2012-2013 school years is approximately $2.4M. The school's per-student spending is approximately $8275, of which approximately $6500 per student comes from the school district, a figure that has been declining for the past several years. The balance comes from grants and other private fundraising, including the non-profit Willow Creek Foundation (WCF). In 2012-2013, WCF raised $310,000.

Student demographics

As of 2016 Willow Creek enrolls about 400 students,[9] 75% of the public school students within the Sausalito Marin City School District; 40% of Willow Creek's students were non-Hispanic white while 60% of the students were racial and ethnic minorities and/or mixed-race. About 150 students resided in Marin City; this number was higher than the enrollment of Bayside-Martin Luther King Academy, the K-8 school in Marin City, which had 143 students.[10]

As of spring 2013, the student body was 37% Hispanic, 25% White, 18% African-American, 11% Asian, 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 8% who self-identify as multi-ethnic. About 65% of the students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, and 21% of the students are English learners. Willow Creek is a Title I School without a school-wide program. The majority of the parents of WCA's students in 2013 have attended college: 39% are college graduates (of which 20% went to graduate school); an additional 53% have graduated from high school (of which 37% attended some college); 8% are not high school graduates.[11]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "The Sausalito Marin City School District: Then and Now" (Archive). 2007-2008 Marin County Grand Jury. June 26, 2008. p. 2/13 (PDF p. 3/14). Retrieved on January 3, 2016.
  2. ↑ Rogers, Rob. "Willow Creek in Sausalito named one of state's top charter schools." Marin Independent Journal. June 16, 2011. Retrieved on July 4, 2011.
  3. ↑ Tucker, Jill. "Tiny Marin County district clings to struggling school" (Archive). San Francisco Chronicle. Saturday, April 5, 2014. Retrieved on January 3, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Dovey, Rachel. "A School Divided." North Bay Bohemian. January 23, 2013. p. 2. Retrieved on January 3, 2015.
  5. ↑ Klien, Gary. "Two-alarm fire scorches Sausalito-Marin City School District building" (Archive). Marin Independent Journal. September 6, 2015. Retrieved on January 3, 2016.
  6. ↑ "2013 Growth API Report". 2012-13 Accountability Progress Reporting (APR). California Department of Education. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Willow Street Academy". Academic Performance Index (API) Report. California Department of Education. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "WCA FAQs". Willow Creek Academy website. Willow Creek Academy. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Willow Creek Academy Response to The August 10, 2016 FCMAT Report: Management Review of the Sausalito Marin City School District." Willow Creek Academy. September 14, 2016. Retrieved on September 27, 2016. p. 3 (PDF 8/31).
  10. ↑ "Willow Creek Academy Response to The August 10, 2016 FCMAT Report: Management Review of the Sausalito Marin City School District." Willow Creek Academy. September 14, 2016. Retrieved on September 27, 2016. p. 1 (PDF 6/31).
  11. ↑ "School Demographic Characteristics". 2012 - 13 Accountability Progres Reporting (APR). California Department of Education. Retrieved 5 April 2014.

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