Greater San Diego Academy

I have worked with GSDA for several years. All the consultants on the staff have a desire to make the experience as best as possible for each family. At GSDA, our mission is to use a personalized learning model to guide students in the pursuit of a lifelong love of learning while providing an emotionally safe environment. Families here are provided with quality support to guide them through the journey of homeschooling. I'm impressed everyday by the dedication the staff has to each of their students and how much thought they put into how they want or need to guide the family. This program offers so much flexibility which can benefit students who have different learning needs, while maintaining accountability for student achievement. I'm so fortunate to be part of a group of professionals that can appreciate that not all students fit into the same mold and understand that all students have different learning styles.

I attended Greater San Diego Academy from 2015 to 2017, entering my sophomore year. I previously attended High Tech High International, another charter school located in Point Loma.Due to HTHI not allowing any students to graduate early or to take college courses, I decided to leave and attend GSDA. Two years later, I was able to take a course at Southwestern College and graduate high school a year early. The teachers at GSDA are great. However, they are very busy. My consultant and teacher Jan Marquez met with other students and me on a weekly basis to see how much work we had completed according to our plan of study. The beauty of GSDA is that each student's plan of study is different. I chose the 4-year university track, so I followed the A-G subject requirements. I had some classmates that were on a community college track. Therefore their plan of study was different. I doubt that without the plan of study, the weekly meetings, and a clear sight of the work I needed to complete, that I would have been able to graduate a year early. The way that the classes are structured is that you go in person twice a week and the other three days of the week you work at home. This structure makes it much easier for a student who is focused on extracurricular activities, working, graduating early, and more. Due to this type of arrangement, I had to be independent and focused on my studies, as I didn't go to a physical class every day. Moving from a project-based learning system like High Tech High which does not use textbooks to GSDA whose classes often use textbooks was not that hard of a transition, but it certainly was a different way to study. The only downsides that I see in GSDA are some of their online classes like Spanish are not the best when compared to other language applications (their online classes like U.S. History are great though), and their offices can get cramped when many students are in the building. Other than these small problems, I can attest that GSDA was an excellent choice.

Great school! Wonderful staff that will provide personalized learning for students. Enrichment and core classes available, as well as a high school program!

I do not know what the October parent was looking for in a school, but maybe he/she was unrealistic in expectations. You have to want to work with your children and be their teacher, and it is a lot of work to do that. This school has given me great support for my three children, provided chances for them to socialize, to attend great field trips and to grow as much as they want. You get out of this school what you put in...and more!