Royal Public Schools is a new charter school coming to the Southside of San Antonio that will offer a STREAMS-360 learning model. On November 5, 2020, Royal Public Schools began accepting applications for enrollment for the 2021–2022 school year. Open enrollment continues through June 3, 2021, and the lottery will be on June 4, 2021. We have put together a guide to help you learn more about Royal Public Schools in San Antonio and take steps to enroll your child for the next school year.
About Royal Public Schools
After a long process, Royal Public Schools received charter application approval in September 2020. The first campus will open in August 2021 serving grades K–2, expanding to a cluster of schools serving grades K–12.
Royal Public Schools will use STREAMS-360, a next generation learning model that will enable students to achieve at the highest levels. The founder and CEO, Dr. Soner Tarim, is also the founder and former CEO of Harmony Public Schools, which is renowned for its STEM education model. “STEM alone is not enough,” said Tarim. “Students also need social and emotional support.” STREAMS-360 will go further, integrating science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, math, and social emotional learning.
Based on decades of experience, the leaders at Royal Public Schools have identified their areas of focus: rigorous curriculum and instruction; assessment and academic progress monitoring; addressing the needs of special populations; highly effective teacher development; social and emotional learning; college, career and military readiness; extracurricular activities and enrichment; parent engagement, and classroom management through clear protocols and procedures. “The model is designed to be holistic, and to educate the whole child,” said Tarim. “It’s meant to prepare students for college, career, and life.”
The STREAMS-360 model will also support students with social emotional learning through project-based learning. The projects will involve complex, real world problems, and will help students develop social awareness as they work in teams and make presentations. Projects are an effective way to keep students engaged while building a deep reservoir of content knowledge.
The Royal Block is a daily, 90–minute period of personalized learning for each student. Teachers will work with students in small groups to close gaps. The Royal Block one of several academic strategies, combined with a school culture focused on mutual respect, kindness, high expectations, and leadership presence, that are designed to bring high levels of achievement to a historically low-income area on the Southside of San Antonio, where many school campuses are currently low performing.
To learn more about Royal 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 other families who are also researching schools and can comment with answers based on their own experiences.
Families signing up for the interest list at the Royal Public Schools kiosk at PicaPica Plaza
Royal Public Schools in San Antonio
Royal Public Schools will be located on the Southside of San Antonio in an area bounded by I-10, I-35, I-37, and Loop 410. The leadership team is looking at potential campus sites, but has not made a location announcement yet. The main phone number is 210-947-0655. Because the school is so new, there is no school report card yet.
Download the free San Antonio Charter Schools app for an interactive map of choice schools. You can also find campus information about Royal Public Schools (and many other schools of choice) in our Guide to Charter Schools in San Antonio.
Enroll at Royal Public Schools
Families can apply online to enroll at Royal Public Schools in San Antonio. Open enrollment for the 2021–22 school year began on November 5, 2020 and will continue through June 3, 2021. The lottery will be on June 4, 2021. Students who are selected will receive a notice inviting them to register; the remaining students will be placed on waiting lists, and will be notified if a spot becomes available.
During application season, there will be opportunities for families to learn more about Royal Public Schools, including virtual information sessions. School tours will begin in early 2021, once the campus location is finalized. Families can get more information, or ask for help with their enrollment applications, by emailing info@royaltx.org, calling 210-947-0655, or reaching out through the website. We recommend that you follow these Royal Public Schools social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
In addition, please join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook to post questions and search previous discussions about Royal Public Schools.
Royal Public Schools at School Discovery Day at PicaPica Plaza
Facts About Royal Public Schools
The STREAMS-360 model is designed to lift up students from underserved communities. The school model adapts to accommodate students entering with challenges—including special needs, low English language proficiency, and lack of academic preparation—by identifying gaps and closing them quickly. Social emotional learning is built into the curriculum and will support students with techniques to manage the stresses of poverty.
The plan is to open the first Royal Public Schools campus in August 2021 with grades K, 1, and 2, growing by a grade level per year. When fully built, the cluster will serve students in grades K–12 at two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, serving approximately 2,300 students. The campus location has not been announced yet, but will serve the following zip codes: 78210, 78214, 78221, 78223, and 78224.
The board of Royal Public Schools is “high octane—diverse and committed,” said Tarim, and includes several members with strong ties to the Southside of San Antonio. Board member Dr. Abelardo Saavedra is the former superintendent of South San Antonio ISD and other large districts in Texas. Cariño Cortez, chef and project manager at La Familia Cortez Restaurants, also serves as a board member.
Among the advisory board members, Rebecca C. Cervantez is the retired CEO of AVANCE San Antonio and led AVANCE in the Head Start partnership with Harlandale ISD. Rita Abbenante is a banker and also a board member of the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Rose Perez is a retired SAISD teacher and has years of experience organizing science fair with the Alamo Regional Academy of Science and Engineering (ARASE). Ray Tijerina, a consultant at Verdant EDU, has expertise in hiring and retaining teachers. Dr. Bruce Leslie is the retired Chancellor of Alamo Colleges and will bring knowledge of higher education.
Tarim was Broad Academy Fellow in 2019–20 and a Pahara-Aspen Fellow in spring 2017.
Royal 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 and help successful schools to grow. Learn more about Choose to Succeed in this post.
If you like what you have learned so far about Royal Public Schools in San Antonio, 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 other families who are researching school options.
Charter Moms Chats
Watch Soner Tarim, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Royal Public Schools, speak with Inga Cotton on Charter Moms Chats on December 14, 2020 at 4 PM Central live on Facebook and YouTube.
Soner Tarim is the lead organizer of Royal Public Schools. He is the founder and former CEO of Harmony Public Schools and has been an educational advocate for underserved communities for more than 30 years. He was the first principal at Harmony Houston, serving 200 students. Under his leadership, Harmony grew to serve nearly 34,000 students at 54 campuses throughout Texas. He has decades of experience in developing innovative educational programs for K–12 schools for the Harmony group of schools, including nationally-recognized STEM programs. Under his leadership, Harmony earned the reputation as one of the best charter school organizations in the country (Broad Prize Finalist 2017). Many Harmony campuses have been recognized as top schools in the United States. Dr. Tarim received the Charter School Leader of the Year Award at the annual charter school conference in October 2017. He completed a fellowship with Broad Academy, an organization that brings together passionate and renowned leaders who are dedicated to transforming school systems so that every student receives a world-class public education. He has also completed a yearlong Pahara-Aspen Institute Education Fellowship. Dr. Tarim holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.
Read More About Royal Public Schools
- “Two new charter school operators approved to open in San Antonio next year,” Alia Malik and Andres Picon, San Antonio Express-News, September 11, 2020
- “2 new Southside charter schools receive State approval,” Emily Donaldson, San Antonio Report, September 10, 2020
- “Get to Know Royal Public Schools, Coming to Southside San Antonio in 2021,” San Antonio Charter Moms, August 31, 2020
- “Commissioner Morath Sends Charter School Decisions to State Board of Education,” Texas Education Agency, August 19, 2020
- “3 New San Antonio Charter Schools Plan to Open in Fall 2020,” Emily Donaldson, San Antonio Report, April 27, 2020
- “City, school leaders want to know if kids who go to Pre-K 4 SA return to neighborhood public schools,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, March 11, 2020
- “Former South San Antonio ISD leaders pushing charter schools,” Ashley McBride, San Antonio Express-News, March 2, 2020
- “Apply to These San Antonio Charter Schools During the Week of December 23, 2019,” San Antonio Charter Moms, December 23, 2019
- “After fight, state education panel OKs new San Antonio charter schools,” Alia Malik, San Antonio Express-News, June 17, 2019
- “Education board rejects Austin charter school bid,” Julie Chang, Austin American-Statesman, June 14, 2019
