New STEM charter school expected to open by August 2025

The Sacramento School of Engineering and Science, a new charter high school is being established in Alamogordo by STEM enthusiasts and professionals.

Mechanical engineer and founder of the Sacramento School of Engineering and Science, Cynthia Stong said the new charter school is making great progress.

"We just filed our preliminary facility document with the state on April 17 and our final application is due June 1. That final application will include classes, teacher hiring plans, school hours and calendar. We are still fleshing out details and we will soon be holding public forums for community input," Stong said.

A Notice of Intent must be filed "no later than the second Tuesday in January of the year the application will be filed," according to the New Mexico Public Education Department.

The school will be free to attend and will be a public school. The charter school will have an open enrollment system, meaning any student will be able to attend. There is not yet a specified location or address for the school.

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Stong said there will be two public forums in May at the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce to present a brief overview to community members and to answer any questions they may have. The first will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15. The second will be at noon on Tuesday, May 21.

She said the goal of the Sacramento School of Engineering and Science is to offer an educational option that will benefit the community and Holloman Air Force Base by graduating skilled students who are workforce ready.

"The goal is to start the school in August of 2025," she said.

The charter school will offer classes for freshmen through seniors, prioritizing science and engineering classes, according to the notice of intent (NOI) filed by Stong.

The engineering and science classes offer support concentrations in the field such as robotics, computer science/engineering, computer software and hardware engineering, aeronautical and aerospace engineering, industrial engineering and biomedical engineering.

The school estimated it could enroll 156 students during its first year. That is just 10% of Alamogordo High School's 1,562 graduating class, according to Stong.

Students will also receive core curriculum in English, language arts and math by 11th grade in order for students to prepare for the College Board SAT that must be administered by their junior (11th grade) year.

The school will not operate under Alamogordo Public Schools nor will it receive oversight from them.

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"Obviously students who wish to perform better in math may be interested in selecting a new school which provides targeted instruction regarding math and technology, as these are elemental to the engineering and science concentrations. Specifically, students who are demographically performing poorly may be better served within a smaller school setting, where more interaction between students and teachers will provide scaffolded support and equip students with targeted skills to close achievement gaps," the notice of intent stated.

The charter school's intentions are to target students that wish to focus on a core curriculum and teach them about it in a smaller school setting, as opposed to Alamogordo High School. Students expected to enroll at the charter school are currently enrolled at AHS, according to the notice of intent.

"By emphasizing a curriculum aligned with students' career interests, integrating subjects, and providing targeted support for specific populations, the Sacramento School of Engineering and Science aims to address the shortcomings observed in the current academic performance data at Alamogordo High School," Stong stated in the NOI.

"US News states that out of the top 20 public high schools in New Mexico, almost half are charter schools (nine out of 20). Our goal for Alamogordo is to offer a charter high school choice for the community."

Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on twitter at @Juan36Corr.

This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: STEM charter school expected to open in Alamogordo in 2025