Coastal Plains Education Charter High School will open five campuses this summer in Candler, Long, Lowndes, Toombs and Wayne counties.
Coastal Plains is a public charter high school with a statewide attendance zone, meaning any Georgia student age 14 to 20 may attend tuition free. Students who complete the necessary classwork then earn an accredited Georgia high school diploma.
Coastal Plains is a second-chance high school, designed to meet the needs of a variety of students. For some students, traditional high school classes are not a good fit. Some students have full-time jobs. Others must balance school with caring for a child. Still others gave up on school at some point, but now see the value of obtaining a high school diploma.
To help students succeed, Coastal Plains uses a blended classroom. Here, a student works at his or her own pace on the computer with a certified teacher in the classroom at all times. The classrooms have a maximum 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio.
Smaller classes allow more individual attention for each student. Attendance is flexible, allowing students to come to classes at a time that works for them. Classes are held Monday through Thursday, from 4-9 p.m., and run year-round, so students can enroll throughout the year.
All students are paired with a mentor, a counselor, a graduation coach and, if needed, a tutor.
Coastal Plains Education Charter High School campuses are designed not to compete with local schools, but rather to complement them. The school boards in the counties where Coastal Plains sites are located have entered into a partnership with the school, and the superintendents of each of the school systems will serve on the Coastal Plains governance board.
For more information on Coastal Plains Education Charter High School, contact Ricky Rentz, executive director, by phone at 912-399-0985 or email richard.rentz@coastalplainscharter.org; Donald Pelton, site director, 912-318-2603 or email Donald.pelton@coastalplainscharter.org; Lisa Futch, site director at 912-242-6036 or email lisa.futch@coastalplainscharter.org; or visit the Coastal Plains website: coastalplainscharter.org