About Us

OUR ORIGINS

Our curriculum began as a visionary venture in 1998 when Dr. Michael and Olga Block, world-class economists started BASIS Charter Schools to prepare students for college and the real world better than the schools did at that time in Tucson, Arizona. They quickly found that the best way to ensure students thrive was simple: challenge them. After opening their first school, the Blocks discovered that a well-crafted, dynamic curriculum paired with teachers who truly cared about teaching it, drove exceptionally high levels of student performance, meeting and surpassing the best students in the world. What began as a single campus has grown to become a unique, high-achieving network of schools serving over 20,000 students in the United States alone. Read what they wrote about us.

 

THE NETWORK TODAY

We are part of a global network of exceptional schools that all use the same curriculum as their starting point.

PUBLIC
CHARTER
SCHOOLS
 

located 
in the U.S.

PRIVATE
INDEPENDENT
SCHOOLS

located 
in the U.S.

PRIVATE
INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOLS

located across
the world

read more about BASIS Charter Schools managed by BASIS.ed

What unites the schools in these three categories is the same unique curriculum offered to every student, ranging in age from three-year-old preschoolers to eighteen-year-old seniors in high school. The network currently consists of over 40 schools across the world, with more campuses opening every year. Our institutions are listed among America’s best by any measure (school rankings, Advanced Placement and PISA/OECD testing, National Merit Scholarships, or college admissions and financial aid) because we treat the classroom as sacrosanct, and teach students to love learning.

 

THE THREE PILLARS

No matter the grade level, the success of students rests upon three pillars.

1

OUR
CURRICULUM

We educate students
at the highest
international
standards utilizing
our own innovative
and time-tested
curriculum.

2

OUR
TEACHERS

Passionate,
knowledgeable,
experts who believe
that with the right
support and 
encouragement,
any child can excel.

3

JOYFUL LEARNING
CULTURE

We celebrate
hard work
and the belief 
that intellectual 
pursuits result 
in extraordinary
outcomes.