Frequently Asked Questions

Endeavor is a public school where students design and take control of their own learning based on their interests and goals for the future.  Endeavor is a personalized, project based learning environment.

A charter school must have its own board of governance to oversee the goals of the school and ensure the goals are being met. All charter schools are different, but most charter schools are looked at as innovative schools. Endeavor Charter School is a public school authorized by the Watertown Unified School District.

There are many differences.  The biggest difference is that in Endeavor, students take responsibility for their own learning.  They make the decisions about how they use their time, how they show their learning and what they study. Learning is done differently in Endeavor.

Endeavor might be a good fit for you if you are… 

• interested in using creativity and curiosity in your daily school work
• open to coaching to improve both academically and socially
• interested in taking responsibility for your own learning
• able to organize yourself and stay on track with your work
• able to do work without being asked to or be self-motivated
• willing to do work outside of school
• interested in solving problems and being coachable
• willing to try new things or work outside of your comfort zone
• able to work through challenges to complete tasks

Endeavor might not be a good fit for you if you are…

• trying to get away from having to, “do school”
• not willing to work with others
• not interested in working too hard
• not able to focus or have a hard time working on things for extended periods
• not working at grade level or are credit deficient
• looking for a teacher to tell you exactly what to do

Yes.  If you work hard and plan a rigorous personalized learning plan, you will be ready.  Our graduates have gone to four year colleges, two year colleges, the military, the workforce, study abroad programs and the Peace Corps after graduation. You will prepare for the future you choose.

Yes.  Our students have earned local, state and national scholarships. Since our students have a wide variety of opportunities as part of their daily studies, they feel very prepared to create their applications.

We have students of all high school grade levels and all ability levels in Endeavor.  The most successful students are self-motivated and have open minds to trying new things and learning in a new way.

Yes.  We encourage you to be involved in the things that you are passionate about. You have the same opportunities to play sports and be in clubs that the students in Watertown High School do

Yes. You will see them in lunch, after school activities and depending on the classes you take, you might see them there.  Better yet, join Endeavor with a friend.

You will spend your day working on projects, attending seminars, working through online courses and attending classes in Watertown High School.  How you spend your day will be based on your personalized learning plan. You will build your plan based on your goals and your plans for the future. You will pick your schedule, and you will pick the topics you study. Most first year students will have an online math hour, a project work hour, a seminar hour, Endeavor hour and either a second project work hour or a course in Watertown High School.

Your high school transcript will have courses and grades just like any other traditional high school.  However, you won’t actually sign up to take classes in Endeavor like a traditional high school. You will be working on the parts of different classes as they make sense with your interests. This is how real learning happens in the real world; you learn as you need to accomplish things in your life. It may sound confusing, but it all makes sense after you do it.  We will help you and your family understand how learning works and looks differently in Endeavor.

Yes.  You can take AP classes in Watertown High School as part of your two credits in the high school.

You can still eat lunch in the high school commons with your friends, or you can eat in our Endeavor lunch room with other Endeavor students. You will choose the lunch time that best fits in your schedule.

Yes.  Endeavor students work to meet or exceed learning targets that are aligned to the same district, state and national standards as other high school students. Students must demonstrate each target at an A or B level to earn credit.

The only fees you pay are the same fees paid by any high school student in the Watertown Unified School District.

Most students say their favorite parts of Endeavor are the small learning community and the freedom to choose what they do. Most students say their least favorite parts of Endeavor are trying to manage everything and doing revisions.

Most students say, “yes.”  Endeavor students have high expectations.  They are expected to work hard, to meet deadlines, to think deeply, to be studious, to overcome challenges and to constantly improve. Students focus on both their strengths and their areas of growth. This means doing the hard work of improving in areas of weakness. However, students also say that being in Endeavor has made them grow in ways they didn’t know were possible.

Because this is a new way of learning, we will ask you to make a one year commitment to really give it a try. However, if you and your family find that Endeavor isn’t a good fit for you, we will help you transition into Watertown High School or the school of your choice.

We have family information nights you can attend in January.  You can also check out our website www.endeavorcharterschool.org, call our office to ask questions or schedule an appointment to meet with a staff member at (920)262-7525.

Making decisions about your education can be very difficult.  Talk it over with your family, talk to Endeavor students, ask more questions and look over the web site.  There is no perfect learning environment, so you’ll need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of Endeavor versus other learning environments you are considering. We want Endeavor to be a good fit for you, and we will be happy to help in whatever way we can to help you and your family make the decision that’s right for you.

The first step is to complete an application.  Applications are available online at https://www.endeavorcharterschool.org/join-us/apply/