Classical Education
About our School
Defining our School
The School of Choice is a private, interfaith, Independent Study Academy for gifted or challenged students in grades six through twelve. In the daytime, afterschool or in summer school, we offer individually-tailored curricula for tutoring and classes designed to meet college standards.
We are a non-denominational school which is open to qualified students of all racial, social, cultural, religious and intellectual backgrounds. We teach regular classes between 8:30 and 3:00 on Mondays through Fridays, except holidays, between August and June. We also sponsor educational enrichment programs in the summer and after school. We give students a classical education, which challenges them to read great books and ideas in each of the arts and sciences. Our intellectual freedom and rigor encourage students to think critically and imaginatively as they develop character and leadership abilities; they will become mature adults who can solve the world's problems.
We consider it arbitrary to divide students strictly by age, and not by ability. Therefore, our tracking system and honors programs ensure that students and teachers stay at high levels. We mix grades when necessary to keep our keenest students intrigued by the process of learning at the highest level. Our curricula prepares students to take all classes required by the University of California as well as Advanced Placement courses starting in the ninth grade. Our students will practice SAT and SAT II tests in middle school and will take diagnostic IOWA or ERB tests upon admission and at regular intervals to demonstrate their improving competence on standardized testing challenges. Naturally, students will receive regular grade reports on a quarterly basis. Their service upholds four principles:
- Individualized instruction: We tailor very small classes to students' interests, abilities and needs.
- Academic Freedom: Like college professors, we hire qualified professionals who teach great books and ideas with creativity.
- Greater Expectations: We teach to the highest intellectual standards.
- Supportive Instructors: Our empathy helps us understand each student's means of attaining mastery of each academic subject.
School History
• The Enrichment Center (1999-2003)
Robert and Suzanne Arne founded The School of Choice in 1999 as an enrichment center that
evolved into a school. Robert, who holds degrees from Berkeley, Oxford and Chicago, brings
experience as a college history, ELD and English instructor. They established an enrichment
educational service in San Jose, which generally taught individuals or small classes after-school
to advanced students in grades 4-12. They both were unhappy with the educational standards
and lack of individual attention and knew that these ills could not be cured within the political
confines of public schools.
They began their enrichment center by driving to clients' homes, but established their first groups from a shared office on Cupertino’s Stevens Creek Blvd. in August 1999. From this point forward, they started gaining students at a rapid pace so that they could lease their first dedicated office in January 2000 at 7259 Sharon Drive in San Jose, near De Anza and Route 85. A year later, when this office proved too small, they leased a larger office three blocks away at 7289 Coronado Drive, again near Route 85 and De Anza. They prided themselves upon their ability to teach Tolstoy and Shakespeare to middle school students, and to build an AP program which gives students as young as seventh grade college credit.
• The Day School (2003-the Present)
In the Fall of 2003, the Arnes opened the doors of a day school in south San Jose with the help of
William W. Kaufmann. In the first year, they welcomed many homeschoolers and Lyceum students
to their budding institution, but growth was slowed by the Valley’s recession. In this year, they
began producing plays with Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors. By the Fall of 2004, they were
able to move to the Blackford facility. This gave them access to better fields, indoor basketball
courts, a large library and a superior stage. The school routinely sponsors special events:
debates and mental challenges and field trips to plays, concerts and museums. After
computerizing its records to correspond more readily with parents, the school gained Candidacy
for WASC accreditation in June 2004.
• The Independent Study Academy.
In July 2005, we relocated to our new campus at 1095 Dunford Way in Sunnyvale. Then tragedy
struck: Headmistress Suzanne Arne caught cancer, grew sick, and then died. Her husband was
unable to grow the school. Now he has recovered, remarried, fought off a hostile takeover attempt,
and lost 100 pounds. He has decided to model the school upon its humble roots as a
learning center oriented towards one-on-one instruction or small group classes, but with the ability
to offer class credits, social life and AP’s to get students into the best colleges.
