Inside iLearn Academy Charter School

While charter schools have been surrounded by controversy in recent weeks, we take a closer look at iLearn Academy Charter School, one that appears to be thriving with a curriculum focused primarily on STEM.

It's been around for several years but many in the community are still surprised to hear that iLearn Academy Charter School is tuition-free. The charter school uses public funding, but instead of the traditional K through 5 curriculum, it focuses on science, technology, engineering and math.

Curriculum and instruction director Rachel Alquero told KUAM News, "We are technology-based, so all of our students are equipped with iPads that have their own data. Teachers within the classroom are very digitally savvy so all the programs that we run are digital based, our curriculum is digital-based."450

The school also started an agriculture program that teaches students how to grow crops. And like the other charter school in existence, iLearn Academy has been steadily growing in enrollment since its inception. "We are currently enrolled at 497 students, kinder through 5th grade. Our cap for this school year is 500, so we do have 3 slots available," she said.

 As the enrollment continues to grow the school is hoping to move from a leased campus owned by CoreTech International at the Ukudu Village in Dededo to a permanent facility not far north of the existing campus. "We are actually looking to stay in this Ukudu Village area to build a permanent location that can hold up to 900 students, and we're hoping and looking at that being completed within the next two years," she said.

Alquero says the new campus would be fully enclosed, would come with more reliable internet and is needed to better implement the school's STEM program, adding, "I believe we're looking for a science lab for our students to do experiments in to grow our agriculture program, so we will have space at the new location to be able to do that. The permanent location overall would just really be able to help us implement the program that we want to implement well."

The school has also discussed the possibility of expanding to a location in Southern Guam in the future. To learn more information you can contact the school directly by calling 989-3789.