Kato Public Charter School is a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

Mankato, Minnesota Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Blue Earth, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet, and Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 United States ...

, United States. The school opened as RiverBend Academy in September 2000 and rebranded as Kato Public Charter School in 2014. Kato Public is part of the

EdVisions Schools EdVisions is a nonprofit organization that works with charter schools, school districts and community groups to create and sustain small schools using self-directed project-based learning, small learning communities and authentic assessment. Th ...

co-op and is in its own independent school district, ISD #4066.

Structure

The school has around 70 students from grades 612 and five general education teachers (called advisors), plus art and a

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

department,

Title I The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965. Part of Johnson's "War on Poverty", the act has been one of the most far-re ...

staff, and other educational and support staff. Education at Kato Public centers on project-based learning. With the help of their advisors, students create projects that cover the Minnesota Graduation Standards. There are also regular field trips to organizations around the community and experts are brought in to teach students about particular topics.

History

In 1995, the Mankato Area Public Schools (ISD #77) formed a group to look at alternatives for public education in the area. Two years of discussion resulted in the founding of Bridges Community School, which was run by ISD #77 and initially served children in grades 5-6 (and later expanded to cover grades K-6). Recognizing the need for alternative educational opportunities for older students, work continued and a model was developed for a secondary-level charter school. In September 2000, the charter school opened its doors (as RiverBend Academy) to more than 150 students. As of the 200910 school year (the most recent year for which data is available as of August 2011), Kato Public served 69 students in grades 6-12. The majority of students (60) were in grades 912, with just 9 students in grades 68, according to the

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. In 2010, Kato Public celebrated its tenth anniversary, succeeding in a state where 37 of 200 charter schools have closed their doors since Minnesota first allowed charter schools in 1992. The charter school rebranded itself as Kato Public Charter School for the 2014 school year.

References

External links

Kato Public Charter School website
Charter schools in Minnesota Public high schools in Minnesota Public middle schools in Minnesota Schools in Blue Earth County, Minnesota Mankato, Minnesota {{authority control