Choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions a family will make. It's important to take your time and find the school that best suits your family and your child's individual needs, learning style, interests, strengths, challenges, and potential career interests.

There are many reasons why you should choose Da Vinci Schools:

You're college-bound.

Da Vinci Schools are college-preparatory, public charter schools. Every high school student takes college-prep classes that meet the California state content standards and exceed the eligibility requirements for admission to the UC and CSU campuses. Every student who graduates from Da Vinci Schools will graduate college-ready, career-prepared, and community-minded.

You love to solve problems.
Da Vinci Schools offer a "learn by doing," project-based curriculum that emphasizes depth over breadth and a real-world context for learning. Students work individually and on teams doing hand-on projects that require critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and project management skills. Examples of projects include building Medieval-style Trebuchets to solve quadratic equations, studying persuasive techniques and subtext by analyzing advertising, and exploring circular motion and projectile path by creating flash animation movies.

You want to take responsibility for your own learning.
Our real-world, project-based curriculum is innovative, challenging, fun and relevant to our students' lives. Our educational approach taps into students' interests and drive. Our students are excited about learning and love to be at school evidenced by our 97% daily attendance rate. In traditional classrooms, students are often passive receivers of information who work on short-term assignments that emphasize content memorization. At Da Vinci, our students are enthusiastic learners, thinkers and problem solvers who assume greater responsibility for their learning. Students work cooperatively on long-term projects in technology-rich classrooms where they are encouraged to ask questions, explore, investigate, collaborate, manage resources, strategize, solve problems, and decide how they will achieve their goals. At the conclusion of a project, students demonstrate their mastery of the curriculum by presenting their work at Exhibition Nights and making oral presentations of learning to faculty and outside panels of experts drawn from parents and the community.

You prefer a small school environment with a strong sense of community.

Da Vinci Schools are small schools. When they are fully enrolled, each high school will have about 500 students. Our small school size provides teachers and students with the opportunity to really know each other. Many of our teachers prefer to be identified by their first names. Our students and staff eat together and share the same workspace. Our community is very diverse and welcoming. 

You want to get a head start on your college education.
There are numerous ways for Da Vinci high school students to earn college credit and gain experience with college level coursework while they simultaneously earn their high school diploma. Beginning in the second semester of the 9th grade, students may take Early College classes. Professors from El Camino College come onto our campus to teach college level classes that are free to students. Students may also enroll in Antioch University Los Angeles classes at Da Vinci, earning college credit and establishing a college transcript while still in high school. Professors from Art Center College of Design are teaching two courses at Da Vinci Design. Additionally, Da Vinci students have the opportunity to earn Honors credit in many of our classes.

You want to be part of something innovative.

Da Vinci Schools are innovative, award-winning schools. We model an educational philosophy that Bill Gates and many other leading education reformers follow -- the new 3-R's of education -- rigor, relevance and relationships.  We engage students in real-world projects that interest them and prepare them with the authentic skill sets they need for real-world readiness. We collaborate and work in teams that mirror the workplace.  We have strong community partners who help us identify the 21st century skills that students need to know that do not appear in the California state standards. Our students participate in job shadows in the 10th grade, internships in the 11th grade, and complete a year-long senior project in the 12th grade. Every student goes on yearly college field trips beginning in the 9th grade to experience college life first-hand. We think students today need a lot more than just core academic subjects.  We are committed to ensuring that every Da Vinci student graduates with the knowledge, skills, confidence and compassion needed for success in college and the 21st century global workforce.