Socrates Science Foundation

Imagine a high school focused on Agricultural, Environmental and Animal Science. Where students come to school every day and care for the animals on campus, grow their own food and make a meal.

The Socrates Science Charter High School will use a hands-on, experiential approach to teach all content. Teachers will facilitate learning by asking questions and assisting students in finding the answers. Trouble with basic math skills? Take our Math in Construction course, where students design and build an on-site structure as their final exam. Don't like building, how about Math in the Kitchen?

Attend classes in the Ag building to learn how to trim goat hooves or learn about livestock conformation. Animals are invited right into the classroom via our unique classroom design! The Adoption Center contains all of our dog and cat rescue animals, providing extra space to local rescues allowing for more lives to be saved. Small teams will be assigned to care for a specific animal or section of animals ensuring quality care, companionship and compassion for every soul on site. Step outside for an Environmental class and gather data on water quality or soil composition. Then back into our dry and climate-controlled classrooms to analyze your data and reach a conclusion.

Students will spend the first 2-3 years at SSCHS being introduced to the basics of Agricultural, Environmental and Animal Science. Each student will declare one of those sciences as their major going into their senior year; allowing them to focus on their preferred subject matter, perform independent research on a topic of their choice and complete an internship. Students who graduate from SSCHS will have innumerable job skills to apply for their dream job or continue into post-secondary education.

In addition to classes offered by SSCHS, students will have the option of taking Dual Enrollment (DE) credits via Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC). Dedicated students can earn a General Studies Associate Degree by the time they graduate high school, and/or earn credits towards a degree in Environmental Science or Veterinary Technician.

1. Experiential Learning

2. Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability

3. Animal Science, Welfare & Rescue

4. Agriculture, Food Systems & Nutrition

5. College & Career Pathways

6. Community Engagement & Service

Charter schools are free for students to attend!

Funding:

Every school district allots a set amount of money per student, depending on their federal, state and local funding. When a student decides to attend a charter school, the majority of the allotted funds follows that child to their public school of choice.

Transportation:

Transportation is also free and provided by the student's home district (where the student resides) as long as the Charter school is within 10 miles of the sending district's boundary line via a main road. Thus SSCHS would like to find a location within the Tamaqua Area School District so that the students of up to 10 neighboring districts could qualify for free transportation, making the school more accessible to the students we aim to serve. SSCHS will work with each family to determine the best source of transportation for any district outside the 10 mile requirement.

Enrollment:

SSCHS is planning to open with both a 9th and 10th grade class, either in August of 2027 or 2028. Each grade will have a maximum enrollment of 100 students. If a grade has more applications than seats, a lottery system will be utilized to determine which students get to attend. Students not chosen can be placed on a waiting list. If a student disenrolls, the first person on the waiting list will be contacted. The waiting list order is also determined via the lottery system. Preferences: Charter schools can give preference to siblings of currently enrolled students or students of staff who helped develop the Charter school. Withdrawal: Students absent for 10 consecutive days can be removed from the school's active membership roll.

Planning & Approval:

Charter schools can be started by anyone but require an immense amount of work and expertise, often spanning 2-10 years of planning. The standard Charter school application is 18 pages and can be found on the PA Dept. of Education's website; however, applications often require approximately 1,000 pages of supporting documents before they can be submitted to the district where the Charter school intends to open. Everything from founding members, school governance, entire curriculum plans for 9-12th grades, financial planning, location and development, proposed staff and so much more needs to be included when submitting an application.

You might have noticed that this Newsletter is titled the "Socrates Science Foundation" that is because we can not claim to be a Charter school until the Charter application has been approved. In the meantime, the Socrates Science Foundation (SSF) will complete all the foundational work in preparation for the school's opening; everything from gathering public support and potential student information, to locating land, creating business/community relationships, building the Founding Coalition members, researching grants and readying the documents for the Charter application.

• Tell others about the Socrates Science Charter High School

• Join the Socrates Science Foundation. Assist in making community connections, attend local festivals and events, hang out with furry and adorable animals to help draw attention to our cause.

• Gather names of students who are potentially interested in attending SSCHS (and their parent’s name, address and contact information)

• Be a sounding board. Help us make plans and veto the not-so-great ideas

• Feel passionate about this endeavor? Talk to me about joining the Founding Coalition and/or School Board!

• Ideas/suggestions/comments/concerns, etc. are always welcome

Attend the intro meeting on Feb. 4th, 2026 at 7:00pm via Zoom. Anyone interested in learning more is welcome to attend. Feedback is always welcome.

Jen Clinton is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Jen Clinton's Personal Meeting Room

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/5089774088?pwd=HyTALY0RpQYOgfA9gqZstOeLJ5YChd.1

Meeting ID: 508 977 4088

Passcode: B5mHRJ