Any Summit K2 parents of high schoolers?

Hi Laura, my son went to K2 in 7th and 8th grades and for the first couple months of 9th grade until we switched him to our local high school. In our 2.2 years there I had the feeling they have their heart in the right place but had some difficulty pulling off their goals. The school is mostly computer based so the kids are on screens all day. Some kids are focused on what they are supposed to be learning while others are browsing what the internet has to offer. There was a lot of noise in the classrooms and teachers did not seem to have authority or control over the students -not my personal observation, just relaying what my son said about his experience.

There was an attempt to start a PTA of sorts and that fell through. Maybe they have one now. The teaching staff turnover was high. Most of the teachers were young and inexperienced and seemed to only stay for one year. Kids are assigned a mentor who is there to keep them on track. The education consists of a combination of watching videos on their computers and some classroom teaching and projects. There are units of educational material in each subject based on a timeline. Kids need to stay on or ahead of the line to be on track. Once they fall off track they're on their mentor's radar. Once they watch all the Khan Academy and other videos based on the unit's subject, they take a multiple choice test. They can take it over and over until they pass, then move on to the next unit.  Some whiz kids finish their computer based education way ahead of schedule and end up bored for the rest of the school year. Others are constantly on or behind the line. There are no advanced classes and your child will be in classes with others who have a very wide variety of abilities.

If you have a child with self control and isn't easily distracted by loud noise in the classroom he or she may do well. I would not recommend Summit if you are zoned for Korematsu/El Cerrito but it's a great choice if your local school is a poor performing one. I would also not recommend it if you plan on switching to any other school at some point. My son was not prepared for the level of work he had to do at his new school. He was so used to sitting back on a computer and mailing in his lackluster effort. When faced with books, paper, and nightly deadlines, it was a wake up call. His assessment of K2 vs new school is that he loves having teachers with experience who can control the classroom better, he prefers not being on the computer all the time, and he likes being held accountable with nightly homework.

Ultimately it seems like K2 is great for kids whose resident schools are poor performing; are mature and independent workers who can hold themselves accountable for staying on the timeline; and don't mind being on a screen for many hours a day. I came away feeling that my son took a spot from a kid who needed/wanted to be there more than he did. Good luck on your relocation!