Background
Monarch Community School is an alternative elementary school (K–6) that has served the Santa Cruz community for over thirty years.
The original Gault Open School was created in 1974 in response to a group of parents, teachers, and administrators who wanted a child-centered, individualized learning alternative for students in the Santa Cruz City School District. Monarch School was the name selected when the program moved to new buildings residing on a corner of the Ark Alternative High School. The school program was restructured and the community reaffirmed its original commitment to maintaining a small, community oriented school in which parent participation plays a major role. Our latest move occurred in the fall of 2004, when the school was relocated to the Branciforte Small Schools Campus.
Students at Monarch are grouped according to their academic, social and developmental needs. There are four classrooms at Monarch Community School distinguished by group name rather than by grade: Earth (youngest students ranging from K–1), Ocean and Sea (students in the middle grades 1–3), and Sky (oldest students 4–6).
School Accountability Report Card (SARC)
The page at this link provides a series of accountability reports about the state of our school.
Location
Branciforte Small Schools Campus
840 North Branciforte Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA, 95062
Hours
Office hours: (by appointment only)
Classroom hours:
| 8:30 am to 3:00 pm | Mon., Tue., Thu., and Fri. |
| 8:30 am to 12:30 pm | Wed. |
| 8:30 am to 12:30 pm | Every day for Kindergarten students |