About Santa Fe

Turquoise Trail Charter School inspires passion for learning!

Mission: –To serve a diverse population of Pre-K – 6th grade students in a safe and supportive environment, engage learners and provide meaningful experiences for them to realize their potential. High expectations and innovative teaching practices challenge students to interact with the world as creative, responsible citizens.

Turquoise Trail Charter School is a public conversion charter school within the Santa Fe Public Schools. The school was founded in 1990 through community advocacy as a school dedicated to the principles of holistic, hands-on, innovative education. The school continues to educate students with the same principles and focus on research-based best practices for the classroom. We believe that instructional and non-instructional staff, parents, students, and community members must act in partnership to ensure students attain their potential in all areas of life.

Turquoise Trail Charter School continues to uphold the same purpose established under the original charter granted in June 1994 and the charter renewals granted in 1999 and 2004. Site-based management with participatory governance by parents, staff and community members focus on educational issues in the best interest of students and achievement through collaborative decision-making for personnel, budget, curriculum, professional development and instructional materials. The school maintains a commitment to integrate curriculum centered on constructivism, brain-based learning, an awareness of unique learning styles, and scientific research centered on the theories of best practices. The school’s curriculum is fully aligned with the New Mexico Content Standards and Benchmarks and Performance Standards. Instruction is differentiated according to student learning needs. The goal is to challenge students and to inspire personal responsibility for their learning.

Some specific programs in place that expand the learning for students at Turquoise Trail Charter School include art, music, computer, library and PE for all students; Pre-K and full day Kindergarten; computer lab, mobile labs and interactive whiteboards; Project MINDS—Meaningful- Inquiry- Discoveries- Solutions; National Dance Institute (NDI); enrichment for students who qualify as gifted; environmental studies with outdoor classroom; Cooking With Kids; literacy rich classrooms; Everyday Mathematics; special education inclusion and related services; band, drumming and chorus; bilingual instruction for English Language Learners, Spanish for all kindergarten and first grade students and a plan to extend language instruction in future years to offer all students the opportunity to become bilingual and bi-literate; state licensed After School Program offering reimbursement for eligible families; student council; extracurricular sports and other activities.

Turquoise Trail Charter School is a happy, creative place to be with a positive working and learning environment. Commitment, passion, energy, care, love and enthusiasm are readily expressed by staff, students and parents. Staff members view themselves as leaders, able to share ideas and execute them in a setting of sustainable strategic excellence.