Rachael Sewards, founder and executive director of Solare Collegiate Charter School, provided an update on the school's progress at a recent board meeting. Solare Collegiate, which serves students from fifth to eighth grade, was the first institution included in the Chamber’s charter expansion committee in 2022.

Sewards shared several key details about the school located in southwest Albuquerque within APS's Learning Zone 2. The student body is composed of 93% Hispanic, 2% African American/African, 1% Indigenous, 2% White, and 2% Other Multiple Races. It is designated as a Title I school with 27% of students having special needs and 30% being English learners.

The school experiences high levels of student mobility and significant enrollment increases between November and January. Solare emphasizes grade-level academic learning across all classrooms using high-quality materials with a focus on critical thinking, oral literacy, and conceptual mathematics. Teachers are observed weekly and participate in coaching meetings every week.

Solare has implemented whole-school data sharing along with bi-weekly data meetings for content areas. Nine out of fourteen classrooms use co-taught inclusion-based learning communities. A dedicated thirty-minute FOCUS session occurs each day for all scholars who also have individualized plans to address missed learning opportunities aligned with NWEA MAP standards using IXL growth plans. Additional intervention support is available twice a week for students scoring in the 21st to 40th percentile.

Sewards announced plans for a new facility spanning 21,000 square feet expected by December 2025. This addition will allow the school to include kindergarten through fourth grade while increasing enrollment from its current capacity of 416 students to an anticipated total of 624 students. The school has secured $1.73 million in expansion grants from CSP and ESNM.