Draft:The Rhoades School

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The Rhoades School
Information
Type	Private school
Established	1980
Grades	2.5 years–8th grade
Accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Locations	Multiple (CA)
Parent	Spring Education Group
Website	rhoadesschool.com

The Rhoades School is a private, coeducational school in Encinitas, California. It serves children ages 2.5 years through 8th grade, separated into a Preschool (2.5 years–Pre-K), Elementary School (Pre-K–5th grade), and Middle School (6th–8th Grade). The school was established with a mission to serve academically motivated students.

History

The Rhoades School was founded in 1980 by Dr. Charlotte Rhoades Glinski, an educator recognized as a national figure in the field of gifted education. Dr. Rhoades Glinski's scholarly contributions to the field included peer-reviewed research on gifted children and their families, including her 1993 article "Bright Mothers of Able Children," published in Gifted Child Today (Sage Publications). Drawing on this academic foundation, she established the school with three students in Encinitas. By the fall of 1981, enrollment had grown to 18 students. Over the following decades, the school expanded into a full preschool through 8th grade institution serving San Diego’s North County region.

In September 2009, The Rhoades School was acquired by Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., an operator of private preschool, elementary, and middle schools across the United States. Nobel Learning Communities’ schools, including The Rhoades School, was later acquired and consolidated with several other private school networks to form Spring Education Group, a network operating more than 200 schools across 19 states.

In 2019, the school expanded its footprint significantly, purchasing the former Rancho Encinitas Academy property at 910 Encinitas Blvd., a two-acre hillside campus of cottage-style buildings, and converting it into a dedicated middle school campus for 6th through 8th grade students.

Educational philosophy

The Rhoades School describes its mission as inspiring “curious minds to think deeply and live courageously,” with the school’s curriculum is designed around advanced coursework in academics, the arts, physical fitness, and social-emotional skill development.

Beginning in 4th grade, students participate in portfolio conferences in which they present their work directly to teachers and parents.

Kindergarten teacher Mary Ruppert co-authored a children’s book, The Four Steps to Friendship, which is used in the school’s social-emotional intelligence program. The program uses a puppet character named Rexy to guide students through steps for managing peer conflict and emotional responses.

The Rhoades School’s Girl Rising Club is a girl-led middle school organization that raises funds to expand educational access for girls in Guatemala, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. The school also observes multicultural programming throughout the school year, including Lunar New Year celebrations, which have been covered by local broadcast news.

Accreditation and recognition

The Rhoades School is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

The Rhoades School has been named an Apple Distinguished School by Apple Inc. The Apple Distinguished Schools program recognizes schools that demonstrate exemplary commitment to innovation in education and effective integration of Apple technology to support teaching and learning.

Academic competitions

The Rhoades School has maintained a longstanding presence in the Future City Competition, a national project-based learning program in which middle school students research, design, and build models of cities of the future. A Rhoades School team won the Future City Southern California Regional Championship and advanced to the national finals in Washington, D.C. In 2016, The Rhoades School hosted the Future City Southern California Regional Finals Competition, welcoming approximately 180 middle school students from across the region to compete around the theme of designing city-wide waste management systems for communities 100 years in the future.

The Rhoades School middle school students have participated in National History Day, an annual academic competition in which more than half a million students conduct original historical research. In 2022, 28 eighth-grade students competed at the regional level in San Diego, with four students advancing to the California State Competition in Sacramento. State finalists presented work on topics including diplomatic failure between Great Britain and the American Colonies, the role of jazz musicians in challenging racial and cultural norms, and the history of food safety legislation in the United States. Students also advanced in the 2021 competition cycle.

During National Robotics Week in 2026, The Rhoades School students engineered semi-autonomous robots designed to work in sync and complete a series of challenges. They traveled to Austria to compete in an international robotics competition, representing The Rhoades School on a global stage.