Frequently Asked Questions

Charter public schools are tuition-free public schools and enrollment is open to all students. Charter public schools are independently operated schools that run with more flexibility than traditional public schools in exchange for increased accountability.

Like all public schools, charter schools are:

• Tuition-free and part of the free public school system
• For all students, and students of all abilities and backgrounds are welcome
• Funded primarily through federal, state and local tax dollars
• Held to state and federal academic standards

Download more information about charter public schools here.

In three communities across Los Angeles -- West Adams/Baldwin Village, Koreatown, and the San Fernando Valley -- we serve a diverse population of students in grades TK - 12. The majority of our students qualify for Free and Reduced lunch, and many will be first-generation college graduates.

Life Experience Lessons (LELs) have been a hallmark of Bright Star's program since our founding. We believe that students must be offered opportunities to enhance their education with real-life experiences if they are going to succeed in life outside the classroom.

Our LEL program provides both area Day Trips and seasonal Overnight Trips around the country.

• Day Trips: Students, teachers and volunteers commit to significant out-of-class learning time around Los Angeles' diverse communities. Excursions include hiking, biking, city-walks, and beach clean-ups. A variety of plays, music concerts and museum visits are made throughout the year across all grade levels.
• Overnight Trips: Students who achieve academic and citizenship goals have the opportunity to attend the following overnight trips:
  • A mid-year trip to a local ski resort to experience the snow, skiing and snowboarding, create new experiences and gain confidence.
  • An end-of-the-year trip to a national location such as the South, Washington D.C., New York or northern California. These trips bring social studies lessons to life and include college campus tours that allow students to envision the possibilities for their futures.

Our core curriculum focuses on mathematics, history, language arts, and science. We believe reading and writing are the cornerstone of all other academic skills. All students take courses in Spanish, physical education, and music. Technology is infused across all classroom learning environments and students read independently at home for 30 minutes every day, 360 days a year.

Our students are encouraged to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. Students share in the responsibility of receiving a quality education and mechanisms are in place for timely attendance, classroom behavior, independent work completion, and active participation in all aspects of our school program.

Teachers are expected to work with the Common Core standards, their colleagues, and the mission of the school site to develop unit plans and lesson plans. There are novel units for ELA, and teacher created math curriculum used in the Middle School / High School. There isn't a scripted curriculum to follow.

Connections is a program that aims to provide an advocate to each student and family at Bright Star Schools. At Bright Star, we have a cohort of Counselors who provide support and facilitate communication among students and their teachers, administrators, parents, coaches, and prospective colleges.

Yes. Our high schools are members of the competitive CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) State sports program, and compete in regular season contests against teams from across Los Angeles.

Additionally, students have the ability to participate in non-CIF sanctioned sports, including cheer and cross-country running. Bright Star students and staff also participate in Students Run Los Angeles (SRLA) and many have completed the LA Marathon.

Aeries Student Information System is the next generation Student Information System (SIS) that provides all Bright Star staff with a single, web-based point of access to student demographics, attendance, scheduling, discipline, grades, assessment history, state reporting mandates, report cards, parent portal, student portal, gradebook, reporting, and more.

Teachers are expected to use Professional Development time given to them in August to backwards plan for the year. There is an expectation that staff collaborate with their colleagues for lesson plans, as well as vertically, to ensure continuity both with programs and regarding student needs. Regular planning time is built into each teacher's daily schedule, as well as staff development time to collaborate with colleagues as a whole school or content specific. Teachers can be seen revising their unit or lesson plans on a regular basis.

Bright Star Schools meets monthly as an organization to receive Professional Development in the area of need. For new teachers, we have pre-service days and full days during the year.

We currently hold initial accreditation for induction.

If you have a passion for teaching, working in a collaborative environment where you are creating your curriculum, working with like-minded people, and have an entrepreneurial spirit, then Bright Star Schools may be a good fit.

We hire both full time teachers and instructional assistants who are either full time or part time in various subjects.

However, to be a full time teacher at Bright Star Schools, you must have at least an intern credential. For more information on credential requirements, please refer to the CTC website ctc.ca.gov.

We offer STRS. Employees will have to request paperwork, and once processed, STRS will be automatically deducted from your paycheck.

Please refer to the CTC website ctc.ca.gov.

Yes. Please click here for current positions we are hiring for. We consistently update this throughout the year and encourage you to check back frequently, as additional positions may be posted.

We have four stages: online application, video interview, an in-person interview, and a school site interview. Please visit our page here for more information.