Guide to Enrolling in Compass Rose Academy Schools in San Antonio for 2021–2022

Compass Rose Public Schools is a growing network of charter schools where academic achievement coupled with personal growth is their “True North”—everything they do is oriented in that direction. The academic program is built on the rock solid foundation of a college preparatory liberal arts curriculum. The high school program is organized around Pre-AP and AP courses, which allows students to take the most rigorous course load available prior to college. Uniquely, each Compass Rose Academy school also offers a slightly different specialty program that matches the strengths of its particular community, with Compass Rose students participating in programs ranging from Robotics & Entrepreneurship to Computer Science & Coding to Aviation & Aeronautics.

On November 15, 2020, Compass Rose Public Schools began accepting applications for enrollment for the 2021–2022 school year, and the lottery will be on February 21, 2021. We have put together a guide to help you learn more about Compass Rose Public Schools in San Antonio and take steps to enroll your child for the next school year.

About Compass Rose Public Schools

Since its founding in San Antonio in 2017, Compass Rose Public Schools has grown from a single middle school serving fewer than one hundred students in its first year (Compass Rose Legacy on Brooks City Base) to two K–12 campuses serving over 1,200 students just three years later. The reason for this explosive and unprecedented growth is simple—Compass Rose puts its students and families first, always. The network’s team members know that students have big dreams for themselves and parents have big dreams for their children. The school’s vision is to ensure all of its students achieve academic success and build the character traits necessary to pursue those lofty dreams vigorously and with confidence.  

Compass Rose is committed to community co-design when they open a new campus. This means they work with parents and other community stakeholders to develop the specialty program for a campus and to help build curricular and extracurricular programs that fit the needs and desires of that particular community. The result is Compass Rose schools become part of their communities and neighborhoods in ways other schools often do not.

The founding campus, Compass Rose Legacy, on Brooks City Base (where small businesses are growing and flourishing) focuses on entrepreneurship and computer science. The specialty course sequence starts in elementary school, where students develop critical thinking skills and basic computer science and coding. In middle school, students apply their coding skills to robotics. They also learn about the design process, planning and executing a long-term STEM project. In high school, students dream up, design, and launch their own small businesses.

At Compass Rose Ingenuity, which opened in August 2020 at Port San Antonio, the curriculum is focused on STEM education through the lens of aviation and aeronautics. Like the Entrepreneurship program at the Legacy campus, the Aviation & Aeronautics program at Ingenuity was developed in response to what parents said they want from a school. Learning to code begins in kindergarten, and students will use these skills to eventually build and launch rockets, build airplanes, and fly drones. 

The 2021–22 school year will bring Compass Rose Journey to Windcrest on the Northeast side of San Antonio. The curriculum at Compass Rose Windcrest will have a computer science focus. In addition, the network is opening an Austin-area campus in 2021 called Compass Rose Destiny, located in the city of Manor.

Compass Rose Public Schools is one of the few charter school networks in San Antonio that offers free transportation to students. Each campus has about ten bus stops that are located strategically across the city.

To read more about Compass Rose Public Schools in the news, we recommend that you click on the articles linked at the bottom of this post. Also, we invite you to join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook and ask questions; the group includes current Compass Rose Academy families who can comment with answers based on their own experiences.

Compass Rose Public Schools in San Antonio

During the 2021–22 school year, Compass Rose Public Schools will have three schools in the San Antonio region. In 2019, on the district’s most recent school report card, they earned a B rating. The list below includes links to each campus’s school report cards. It’s notable that Compass Rose Legacy earned six out of seven possible distinctions on its most recent school report card—an achievement earned by the top 5 percent of schools in Texas.

• Compass Rose Legacy: Elementary school at 8005 Outer Circle Rd., San Antonio, TX 78235 (at Brooks; map); grades K–5. Middle and high school at 3300 Sidney Brooks, San Antonio, TX 78235 (at Brooks; map) for grades 6–11 in 2021–22, expanding to 6–12; 210-540-9265; school report card—rated B 
• Compass Rose Ingenuity: 500 Billy Mitchell Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78226 (at Port San Antonio; map); 210-374-0549; grades K–7 in 2021–22, expanding to K–12
• Compass Rose Journey: near Fourwinds Dr. and Windsor Hill in Windcrest, TX 78239; 210-850-2507; grades K–6 in 2021–22, expanding to K–12

Download the free San Antonio Charter Schools app for an interactive map that includes these campuses and many more. You can also find campus information about Compass Rose Public Schools (and many other schools of choice) on our page Guide to Charter Schools in San Antonio.

How to Enroll

Families can apply online to enroll their children at Compass Rose Public Schools. Open enrollment for 2021–2022 began on October 15, 2020 and will continue through February 20, 2021. On February 21, 2021, Compass Rose Public Schools will hold a random lottery. Students who are selected will receive an email inviting them to register; the remaining students will be placed on waiting lists, and will be notified if a spot becomes available. 

At the Compass Rose Public Schools website, a chat window pops up, inviting visitors to send a message, make a call, or schedule a call. Using that window or calling each campus is the best way to get information about a school or ask questions about how enrollment works. On the enrollment page, parents can fill out a form to join the interest list and request a campus tour.

We also recommend following Compass Rose Public Schools social media accounts:

• Compass Rose Ingenuity on Facebook
• Compass Rose Public Schools on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube

Taking a peek at the newsletters for Legacy and Ingenuity gives a sense of the activities and events, like games and festivals, that happen throughout the year. The newsletters also include ongoing communication from counselors about getting ready for college.

In addition, please join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook to post questions and search previous discussions about Compass Rose Academy Schools.

Facts About Compass Rose Public Schools

Compass Rose Public Schools leaders have been vigilant about planning for a safe reopening during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their preparation means that the distance learning program is rigorous and is based on the school’s core values—Respect, Integrity, Growth, Honesty, and Teamwork. The school has always used blended learning to help students develop essential technology skills and to offer a personalized experience, and that facility with online learning has served them well for providing effective remote education.

A high level of involvement from students and parents is one of the factors that builds a vibrant school culture at Compass Rose schools. Before the pandemic, we had the opportunity to observe the teacher hiring process and how it incorporated feedback from parents and students. Each prospective teacher presented a demo lesson in front of current faculty, teachers, and students. After the candidate stepped out, the students and their parents shared their praise and critiques. The school leaders take that information into account when making hiring decisions. Through this process, Compass Rose Academy has recruited teachers like Michael Osikoya, a former oil industry worker who has been recognized for his dedication to his students.

The curriculum has built-in opportunities for students to express themselves. During the advisory period, students build social-emotional skills, community identity, and a one-on-one relationship with a trusted teacher. Classroom discussions encourage students to think critically and challenge themselves.

Students take ownership of their learning. At quarterly student-led conferences, held in groups in the cafeteria and large classrooms, each student brings a binder of their work to a meeting with their teachers. There is a discussion between the student and teachers about each grade and the coursework that led to each grade. Parents can listen in and ask questions of the teachers. The process of student-led conferences helps students to grow, invites parents to ask questions and learn what’s behind each grade, and encourages students and families to raise their expectations of what’s possible.

One of the founding beliefs at Compass Rose Academy Schools is that every student, regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, zip code, or home language, can be on a path to earning a college degree and building a successful career. All students take a College and Career Pathways course that provides structure for their college search process and helps them explore career possibilities. 

College field lessons are opportunities for students to visit college campuses, talk with current college students, and envision themselves as college students. During the 2019–20 school year, the 8th and 9th grade students traveled to Houston to visit Rice University and NASA, and the 6th and 7th grade students visited UTSA. In the past, students have also visited Texas A&M University San Antonio. In the future, once the public health situation improves, high school students may travel to the east coast to visit colleges. College field lessons give students a sense of what college is like and helps them to see college as part of their future.

Compass Rose Public Schools is a partner of Choose to Succeed, a nonprofit organization working to attract the nation’s best public charter schools to San Antonio.

BES (formerly known as Building Excellent Schools) helped launch Compass Rose. Founder Paul Morrissey was a 2015 BES Fellow.

City Education Partners has supported the growth of Compass Rose Public Schools. Ydette Avina, currently a teacher at Compass Rose Legacy, was a fellow in CEP’s school incubator program. 

By helping students set their expectations high, and offering them a structured and supportive environment, Compass Rose Public Schools prepare all its students for successful and fulfilling lives. In the future, Compass Rose graduates will be our community’s leaders, based on their facility with technology, their cultural competency, and skill at self-advocacy.  

If you like what you have learned so far about Compass Rose Academy Schools, we recommend that you apply for enrollment now. You are also welcome to join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group to learn more and interact with current Compass Rose Public Schools families.

Charter Moms Chats

Watch Ryane Burke, Executive Director of Compass Rose Public Schools, speak with Inga Cotton on Charter Moms Chats on October 27, 2020 at 4 PM Central live on Facebook and YouTube.

Ryane is the Executive Director of Compass Rose Public Schools. Ryane works in close partnership with school leaders across five Compass Rose schools to build joyful, engaging and growth-focused classroom learning experiences. She is also the proud mother of two beautiful and energetic children.

Read More About Compass Rose San Antonio Schools

• “How Compass Rose Public Schools Is Reopening Schools in 2020–21,” San Antonio Charter Moms, September 15, 2020
• “Drive-Thru Meet-the-Teacher, Netflix Intermissions and Lots of Troubleshooting Emails: What the First Day of (Remote) School Looked Like in One Texas District,” Bekah McNeel, 74 Million, August 18, 2020
• “Charter Conversations: Paul Morrissey, Compass Rose Academy,” Building Hope, July 22, 2020
• “Charter School to Relocate in Brooks Expansion,” Connect Texas, July 7, 2020
• “New school, new entertainment building part of big plans at Port San Antonio,” KSAT, May 4, 2020
• “26 Schools Chosen as Spark Opportunity Grant Winners,” Walton Family Foundation, January 27, 2020
• “From oil fields to the classroom, SA teacher making a big difference,” David Norris, FOX San Antonio, September 25, 2019
• “A Journey from the Oil Fields to the Classroom,” Brandon Zeigler, Walton Family Foundation, July 2, 2019
• “Parents Are Part of the Teacher Hiring Process at Compass Rose Academy,” San Antonio Charter Moms, February 15, 2019 
• “South Side School Choice Fair at Compass Rose Academy,” San Antonio Charter Moms, March 20, 2018
• “Meet the Teacher Night at Compass Rose Academy in San Antonio,” San Antonio Charter Moms, August 21, 2020
• “Compass Rose Academy Sets Course for Southeast SA,” Bekah McNeel, San Antonio Report, August 8, 2017
• “Different Backgrounds, Same Long Charter Wait List Brings Texas Parents Together to Fight for More Schools,” Beth Hawkins, 74 Million, February 12, 2017
• “Compass Rose Academy Information Session on October 22,” San Antonio Charter Moms, October 18, 2015