Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School has managed to keep its enrollment and retention within its goals during a year of the COVID pandemic.
Executive director Amanda Johnson provided numbers of how the school has fared in the 2020-21 academic year and discussed the transition into 2021-22.
The school is currently in its third year and enrolls kindergarteners through fourth graders.
Johnson said 322 students are enrolled, which is slightly below the target of 325.
“Retention is still good,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the retention rate is at about 90 percent since Oct. 1, but she expects that to change going into the following year.
“We’re on good pace right now,” Johnson said.
The school will have kindergarteners through fifth graders in 2021-22.
“We do have some work we have to do in kindergarten in making sure we get that number up (for next year),” Johnson said.
But there are currently more parents seeking to put their students in the charter school’s grades 1st through 5th than there are spots
“Every grade except kindergarten, we will do a lottery April 1,” Johnson said.
This process will determine what students are able to attend Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School in 2021-22.
“Attendance, we’re still pushing toward the goal of having 90 percent this year,” Johnson said.
Usually, Johnson said the goal is higher, but COVID changed things for 2020-21.
“Cases still remain low,” Johnson said. “We still have not had to close school or quarantine any classrooms.”
Johnson said two-thirds of the students are learning with the hybrid model and in the classroom twice a week. One group is in the building Mondays and Wednesdays and the other group is in the building Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The remaining one-third of the students are still on virtual learning.
“Fridays are still our completely virtual days,” Johnson said.
Johnson said it would remain that way for the remainder of the year, but next year, she expects everyone to be back to in-person learning. She added students are still wearing masks and have desk shield precautions.
“We are working hard to get as many teachers and staff vaccinated,” Johnson said.
Johnson said everyone is eligible to be vaccine and, thanks to board president Aurelia Jones-Taylor, the school had a session about those issues with a doctor from Aaron E. Henry Community Health Center.
“We’re coming up on the end of the year,” Johnson said. “We do have state testing this year.”
Johnson said the accountability will not be the same, but every school has state testing. She said it was the first time the third and fourth graders at Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School will have state testing.
Two new buildings are being constructed and still on schedule to be ready for the start of the 2021-22 school year.
However, as a precautionary measure to make sure the buildings are ready for the students, Johnson said school will start a week later than usual.
Aug. 2, 2021 is the starting date for the next school year. School will run a week longer to make up for that time.
