Power Technical (PTEC), Colorado Springs | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

First off, we are in full support of James Irwin teaching and methods. I believe JICA to be a great school. We were hoping for the same at PTEC, but with an additional 90 minutes per day of vocational training. Love the idea of kids being able to get a great education and to be able to learn trades, thereby defeating the myth that “smart kids go to college, and dumb kids go into trades.” Unfortunately, this school is only perpetuating this myth. At semester, they spent a full week and a half learning nothing new and playing review games for the finals (totally teaching to the test). And the behavior of the students and ability of the teaching staff to control their classrooms is worse than anything I have ever seen. One class was on their 3rd teacher at semester break, as the previous teachers walked out mid class, never to return. I don’t blame them. After several conversations with administration regarding our concerns and no change, we pulled our MS and HS students out, as have many parents this year. There is almost no educational value at this time, and due to lack of good student behavior and poor supervision with power tools, a downright dangerous environment. I sincerely hope that they can remedy the issues at PTEC, as the idea is wonderful, but the execution is downright terrible.

I attended James Irwin Charter High School from 2002-2006 before they had some of the advantages that they do now, such as the building where it’s currently located. I graduated in 2006 with a class size of 49. The one important aspect of this school that I do remember is there is a heavy emphasis on academics and character building that I did not appreciate that as a student but I do now. The high school, when I attended, was very focused on preparing the students for college. The teachers I had while attending there were a mix of fantastic and okay but in any school you will have your ups and downs. I obviously cannot speak to where the school is at now but when I attended it was very much a rigorous environment that taught me more than just how to study and prepare an essay. I am proud to be an alumni of this school.

We have one daughter in elementary and one in the high school. My wife and I make a point to stay active in our kids lives and involve ourselves at their campuses. We both agree that James Irwin is an excellent school, and are very glad that we found out about it. The fact that the school administration opposes the common core philosophy, and allows parents to have a choice whether or not their children take the government regulated test(s), is a major plus. If you are looking for a school that is setting the bar high in public charter school education, and exceeding scholastic standards in Colorado Springs, then check out James Irwin.