Only elementary charter school in Pierce County opens in Tacoma
A new charter school has opened in Tacoma, making it the second charter in Pierce County, and the only one serving kindergarten and first grade students.
Impact | Commencement Bay Elementary, 1301 E. 34th St., also serves students who are 4 years old, known as “transitional kindergarteners.” School leaders plan to grow a grade each year until the elementary serves transitional kindergarten through fifth grade.
The school opened with a ribbon cutting on Friday, with the first day of school Aug. 25.
Washington charter schools are free for students and funded by taxpayers but run by nonprofits rather than an elected school board. They became legal in Washington in 2012 after voter approval. There are currently 18 certified charter schools in the state.
Impact | Commencement Bay Elementary is the third school for Impact Public Schools in the state, with two others in King county.
“We locate our schools and communities where there’s the greatest need and where, if you look at the academic needs here, they’re significant and there is a large and widening opportunity gap,” said Impact Public Schools CEO Jen Wickens.
The history of charter schools in Tacoma — and Washington state — has been somewhat rocky. In 2019, two of Tacoma’s three charter schools announced they were closing, citing lack of enrollment and financial struggles. Those two schools — Destiny Middle School and SOAR Academy — operated out of the building that Commencement Bay Elementary now occupies.
Impact Public Schools leaders said they feel good about the future, having chosen Tacoma to place a school after finding an available building and knocking on doors within a six-mile radius.
“It was very clear out of the gate that families wanted a high-quality, free elementary option, and we have very high demand here,” Wickens said.
There have been 730 applications for enrollment at Impact | Commencement Bay Elementary, with 252 open seats, creating a wait list for the 2021-22 school year.
“At Impact we commit to delivering on our promise. We’re here to stay,” said Impact | Commencement Bay Elementary principal Jessica Baumer.
Deesha Connor decided to enroll her 6-year-old son, Uriah, at Impact | Commencement Bay Elementary after a good experience at a different charter school, Impact | Salish Sea Elementary where Uriah spent kindergarten.
“We just knew this was the right environment for him,” Connor said. “We just wanted to make sure that he would be seen, regardless of what he looks like and how shy he is.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
