| Primavera Online School | |
| Type: | Charter school, virtual school |
| Location: | 2471 N. Arizona Ave., Building 1 Chandler, AZ |
| Founder: | Damian Creamer |
| Established: | 2001 |
| Grades: | K-12 |
| Enrollment: | 3,299[1] |
| Enrollment As Of: | 2016 |
| Superintendent: | Jason Tourville |
| Mascot: | Panther |
| Colors: | green, white |
| District: | American Virtual Academy |
Primavera Online School is a publicly funded charter school serving grades K–12 in Arizona. The school was founded in 2001 by Damian Creamer[2] and was made possible by a program established by the Arizona Legislature in 1998. Primavera targets students at risk of not graduating from conventional high schools, estimating that 70% of their students are high risk. In 2018 Primavera was ranked the #2 charter school in Arizona.[3] Primavera added grades K-5 in partnership with Sequoia Choice for the 2020/2021 school year.[4]
Primavera Online School is accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED.)[5] There are no fees for students aged 14–22, and only students 22 or younger are accepted.[6] Two types of students attend Primavera: full-time and concurrent-enrolled. Primavera offers two types of diplomas. The standard diploma requires 22 credits while the advanced scholastic diploma requires 23 credits and has a stronger emphasis on math, science, and foreign languages.
Primavera has open enrollment throughout the year, and offers block scheduling. Students take two courses for each six-week block. Each course equals one credit. All teachers are certified and are required to stay in constant contact with each student throughout the course.
Primavera claims a student-to-teacher ratio of 33:1, although records at the Arizona Department of Education indicate 68:1.[7]
In 2017–18, there were 21,782 students enrolled in grades six through 12. In 2017's state standardized tests, under a quarter of its students passed mathematics and around a third passed English, both below the state average.
The school had the third-highest drop out rate in Arizona in 2017, with 49% dropping out; around 10 times the state average.
Primavera, like other charter schools in Arizona, is publicly funded per pupil, although at a reduced rate due to being online-only.
Primavera opened in 2001 under the management of Primavera Technical Learning Center, a nonprofit charter management organization.[8] In 2015, the school's charter was transferred to for-profit education management organization Flipswitch and its subsidiary, American Virtual Academy, Inc. Flipswitch was renamed Strongmind. It has one shareholder, Damian Creamer.[9]
Creamer has been criticized for using this funding structure to pay himself an $8.8 million yearly salary and making large payments to other companies he owns. The school has also been criticized for teacher salaries and diverting educating funding to a for-profit investment portfolio, worth $36 million in 2015.[9]