Company Profile

Company Description:

Polaris Charter Academy is a dynamic EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) school on Chicago’s west side. We exist to support students to become academically successful life-long learners with a strong sense of personal and civic responsibility. With 450 students grades K – 8, PCA promotes an expanded definition of student achievement, putting both academic excellence and character development equally at the forefront.

We are CREW

PCA was founded in 2007 by three Golden Apple Award winning teachers whose mission was to transform education by creating a school deeply rooted in the best practice of “learning by doing.” Their partnership with EL Education brought about rigorous community-based curriculum called “expeditions” (long term projects), experiential learning methods, and the importance of developing character through a core set of values, which we call The Points of Polaris. PCA is one of the 33 credentialed EL Education schools and one of seven EL Mentor Schools in a national network of more than 150 schools that work together with EL Education to challenge students to think critically and take active leadership in their classrooms and community. We are the only EL Education network school in the City of Chicago. To find out more about our work visit our website at www.pcachicago.org.