Enrichment · Case study
Summit Charter Saturday Academy
A Saturday STEM + arts academy serving 280 middle schoolers across 24 weeks.
- Partner
- Summit Charter Network
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Duration
- 24 weeks · 2024–2025
- Reach
- 280 students · 6 partner schools
Outcomes
280
students enrolled
91%
Saturday attendance rate
14
teaching fellows hired
3
showcases per year
The challenge
Summit wanted weekend programming rigorous enough to extend the school week, but joyful enough that students would choose to be there on a Saturday morning.
What we built
- 1
Built a six-track menu: robotics, design studio, debate, podcasting, cooking, and dance.
- 2
Hired 14 teaching fellows from local universities — most were Summit alumni.
- 3
Closed each 8-week cycle with a public showcase attended by families and the board.
- 4
Tracked attendance, persistence, and student-reported belonging every four weeks.
What changed
We expected attendance to drop after the novelty wore off. It didn't — week 18 attendance was higher than week 4. The showcases became the thing students were working toward.
The fellows program turned into a leadership pipeline. Four fellows from year one are now full-time educators in the network.
"My daughter has never asked to go to school on a Saturday. Now she sets her own alarm."
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