Santa Rosa Academy Facility Prepares for Sept. 9 Opening

Santa Rosa Academy principal Laura Badillo (second from right) shows guests the front entrance and administration building to the new facility.

By Jennifer Baker

A group of parent and student donors got a tour Monday of the new facilities at Santa Rosa Academy, which is scheduled to open for classes Sept. 9.

Located across the street from Menifee Marketplace on Haun Road, Santa Rosa is a public charter school for grades K-12. It was established in 2005 and chartered out of the Menifee Union School District, but never before has the academy had a permanent home.

“Some of our kids have been with us since the beginning, and it means so much to finally have our own space,” said Laura Badillo, principal and executive director of the academy.

The new campus is 25 acres, completely fenced, and will contain three separate campuses. K-5 will have its own classrooms (left), two playground structures and a garden. Middle school, grades 6-8, has its own buildings, and the high school, grades 9-12, will have its own buildings, along with a shared garden area.

School officials hope to involve the students in agriculture, allowing them to grow vegetables. The school with have a grove of citrus trees high school students will tend to, and possibly in the future be able to contribute to a farmer’s market.

The buildings in phase one will be ready for the start of the school year, which has been pushed back from its original date in August. Officials expect to have some areas of landscaping still under construction and closed off in September, but all classrooms, the library and administration building will be open. There is still fundraising necessary before phase two will take place. Plans include a gymnasium, a performing arts center and a baseball field.

The school’s Blue Track academic track is a traditional school program for K-12. There are currently two classes for each grade in K-5 and four classes for each grade in 6-12. There is one class per grade on the White Track for grades K-8. These students go to school on campus two days per week and do three days of home study each week.

The other option is Red Track. These students participate in a home study program and meet with an educational advisor for an hour each week to turn in work and take tests. Students on Red or White tracks can be on the waiting list for Blue Track.

Santa Rosa held class in a garage for its first semester in 2005, then in an 800-square-foot office for the second semester. The school spent a couple years in a strip mall on Baxter Road in Murrieta. Later, it leased a building from Mt. San Jacinto College. Most recently, elementary school students attended class in the old Menifee Elementary School on Garbani Road and high school students attended class in a facility on La Piedra Road.

Santa Rosa academy offers a well-rounded education with special programs for engineering and bio-medical study. There is a waiting list to get into the school, but they do offer alternatives. For more information or to make donations to the school, visit the school's website. 

Elementary school classrooms surround a courtyard still under construction. 

A new library is only one of the modern amenities at the new Santa Rosa Academy facility.