Mission
The mission of Scintilla Charter Academy is to provide a deeper learning experience in which each child is empowered through creativity, collaboration, inquiry, and critical thinking to achieve his or her unique potential and acquire a love of learning, along with a strong sense of community and character.
History
Scintilla Charter Academy was awarded its charter in 2014 and operates under the authority of the State Charter Schools Commission. The State Charter Schools Commission holds SCA accountable in the areas of high student academic achievement, sound financial management, and organizational stability. The definition of the word scintilla is a tiny spark. The goal of Scintilla Charter Academy is to ignite a spark in our scholars as we inspire in them a love for learning.
Charter schools are free public schools open to any child who resides in the school’s attendance zone. Since SCA opened in August 2015 as a K-4 school, the school has expanded vertically to add additional grade levels. Any child in kindergarten through eighth grade who resides in SCA’s attendance zone of Valdosta, Lowndes County, and Brooks County may apply to attend Scintilla. SCA is open to students of all ability levels, including but not limited to special education, gifted students, and English Language Learners.
In February 2023, the State Charter Schools Commission voted to renew SCA’s charter for five years, the maximum amount of a charter renewal term. The State Charter School Commission also voted to approve SCA”s expansion to add grades 9-12, one grade at a time, beginning with the addition of the eleventh grade in the 2025-2026 school year.
Accreditation
Scintilla Charter Academy is accredited through the Georgia Accrediting Commission. The mission of the Georgia Accrediting Commission is twofold: (l) to establish standards promoting instruction of high quality for children in Georgia and (2) to encourage schools to meet the established standards. GAC provides an accreditation process designed to establish and uphold standards, to strengthen the quality of education in each school, and to assure its membership and the general public that the established standards are related to the best educational practices.
The GAC serves as a means of ensuring that its membership meets certain standards for the operation and support of quality school programs in the State of Georgia. Specifically, GAC establishes standards and procedures to carry out the accreditation process. GAC also determines the accreditation status of the educational program of each school and publishes an annual list of schools with accredited programs. The GAC, an independent agency, is governed by a board of elected educators who have an interest in education in Georgia. Membership of the governing board represents teachers, instructional supervisors, school administrators, Regional Educational Service Agency personnel, Georgia Department of Education personnel, and college personnel who are responsible for the preparation of teachers and other professional educators.