A wealthy libertarian is creating low-cost private schools in North Carolina, reports Reason.
After starting a popular charter school called Franklin Academy, Bob Luddy decided that families need an “exit” from the public system.
His Thales Academy network charges $5,300 for elementary school, and $6,000 for junior high and high school.
The schools don’t serve students with severe learning disabilities and scrimp on buildings (no auditoriums or cafeterias, minimal sports facilities) and support staff, reports Reason.
Class sizes are large. Students are grouped by performance, so teachers can teach the same lesson — Luddy believes in direct instruction — to the whole group.
Parents are willing to pay for it: Thales is expanding.
Via Joanne Jacobs