Bullis Charter School
Bullis Charter School (BCS) earned 984 on the 2011 Academic Performance Index (API) growth score, making it the highest-performing public school serving Los Altos School District (LASD) students. In addition, BCS is the highest-performing public charter elementary school in the state, while simultaneously ranking in the top one percent of all public schools in California.
Bullis Charter School is a K-8 public charter school serving the Los Altos School District (LASD) community. The charter school was founded in 2003 by LASD parents who were determined to have a high-quality public school option for their children following the closure of their local public school. Currently serving more than 450 students, Bullis is the top-performing public charter elementary school in California. Bullis equips its students with the skills needed to compete in a 21st century global environment, including Mandarin language instruction, leadership training and a focus on engineering and technology.
The students, teachers, parents and community have worked tirelessly to ensure that a BCS education is of the highest-quality and because of this collaboration and commitment, we are achieving great results. BCS’ academic program, which includes character development, project-based learning and a rigorous international curriculum, prepares our students beyond standardized testing - they are becoming 21st century global leaders.
In addition, the inaugural BCS seventh grade class earned a perfect score of 1,000 on the API. With 20 percent of students in this grade being new to BCS, teachers and administrators attribute this success to a curriculum that relies heavily on interdisciplinary learning - the ability to integrate multiple subjects into one comprehensive curriculum.
BCS is the highest-performing school in LASD despite operating with sufficiently less funding. According to a 2011 report from EdTec, BCS students receive $3,739 less per pupil funding than students who attend a traditional public school in LASD. Since the passage of a Los Altos parcel tax in May, 2011, this number will increase to nearly $4,300.