New charter group splits from Santa Ana’s Edward B. Cole elementary school

Editor’s Note: This is the third in our series of articles about Santa Ana’s public charter schools

Opening its doors in September, 2003, Edward B. Cole, Sr. Academy (EBC Academy), is a public charter elementary school located at 333 E. Walnut Street in the economically distressed Federal Empowerment Zone of Santa Ana, California. They are a K-5 charter school serving the educational needs of a community consisting predominately of non-English speaking, low income, and Latino families.

Their API (state test score) is 777, which is below the state’s minimum standard of 788.  Their score fell by 3 points from the year before. According to the O.C. Register’s 2013 O.C. Elementary Schools Report Card, their academic rank is 355 and they have a 24.5 to 1 student to teacher ratio.  Over 96% of their student body is Latino and that same figure is receiving free school meals.

The O.C. Register reported today that Kitty Fortner, who was the founding director of Edward B. Cole and served as its principal from 2003 until last year, and several former educators and parent leaders at Cole, are now petitioning to open a new K-8 charter school in the city, called the Odyssey Charter Academy. The Santa Ana Unified School District board is scheduled to hold a public hearing on their petition on Tuesday and will vote on the proposal by May.

EBC Academy motivates students to attain higher levels of education. Since its inception in 2003, enrollment at EBC Academy has steadily increased from 89 Orange County (OC) students to the now enrolled 370 OC students. EBC strives to provide an educational environment that is both safe and professional.  They are also transparent.  Click here to read their internal Accountability Report Card, which includes salary info.

Their teaching staff is fully credentialed and are dedicated to providing the best educational experience to their students. They prepare lessons that encourage students to set high goals for themselves as well as assist students in attaining those goals.

EBC Academy received authorization from Santa Ana Unified School District and the Charter was renewed in 2008 and will be up for renewal in 2013.

Our series on Santa Ana’s Charter Schools:

• The Pacific Tech Charter School offers free tuition to Santa Ana students

• Students at the Olive Crest NOVA charter school earn college credits

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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