Frequently Asked Questions
About Kino
How long has Kino been in operation?
Kino opened its doors to students in January, 1976.
What age do we begin accepting children?
A child can start attending Kino as a Primary student if he/she will be 5 by January 1st of that school year. Students can remain at Kino through high school.
What is the difference between a private school and a charter school?
Charter schools are state funded public schools established by the state in 1994 to offer more academic choices to parents and students. Each charter school has its own mission and governing board and is subject to rules and regulations established for public schools. Kino is a private, progressive school. They are nonprofit institutions governed by a board of directors and are dependent upon tuition, gifts and grants to provide funding. Their independence allows unique freedom for each school to determine its goals, its curricula and the credentials it demands from faculty and students. Private schools do not receive state funding and are not subject to the state board of education or the governing boards of the school district including the requirements for the AZ Merit Exams.
Without grade levels, how are students grouped?
Students are grouped by Primary, Mid-Level, Jr. High, and High School. In general, primary students are ages 4 ½ - 7, and the middle level students are ages 8 – 10, the Jr. High students are 11-13, and High School students are 14+ at the beginning of the school year.
For students of all ages, the curriculum at Kino is organized around problems, projects, and questions that students find most interesting and worthwhile. Our curriculum encourages students to acquire skills rather than focusing on facts that can be memorized and tested. Educational practices are based on student individual interests and developmental needs. We work from the recognition that each child is a unique individual, with his or her own history, strengths, and needs, and that teaching should be based on what is best for the child. There is an emphasis on problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication, and a sense of community and responsibility. Independence and interdependence work hand in hand toward development of the student as an integrated and contributing member of the community.
With a teacher-student ratio of 1:6, the Kino environment provides student-centered, individual, and small group instruction. Rich academic choices are offered throughout the year in Language Arts, Humanities, Social Studies, Math, Science, Shop, Music, Spanish, Gardening, independent and creative play, caring for the animals, and special individual projects.
Junior High students are encouraged to pursue their interests and develop their skills in a variety of areas while focusing on effective communication in reading and writing in their studies. They are required to take a language arts and math course, in addition to a minimum of three other electives or projects they'd like to pursue. Additional requirements include 15 hours of community service and a Looking Back/Looking Forward essay.
To graduate from high school, a Kino student must earn 22 credits, with each credit representing a year-long substantial class or project. High School students are encouraged to work towards goals that are meaningful to them; just like younger students. But the focus now is on tailoring one’s curriculum to what one plans to do after graduation. A student who is planning to go to college will want to take classes or work on projects that follow the general guidelines that most colleges require or recommend. High School students are also required to complete 30 hours of community service and write a Looking Back/Looking Forward essay each year.
Within those requirements, however, a Kino student will often have a myriad of choices. To earn an English credit, for example, a student may take a literature class, which might focus on a particular genre or author, or a writing class, which may be creative writing, essay writing, or journalism. A student can work one-on-one with a teacher, follow his or her own reading list, work on an extended writing project, or produce his or her own newspaper or magazine. To earn a history credit, a student may join a class, review documentaries, read historical fiction, or pursue his/her own idea.
As students grow through their years at Kino, they develop not only their academic skills, but also learn to balance freedom and responsibility. They learn that they are ultimately responsible for themselves. They also learn that they are members of a community that depends on them and values them.
Without grades how are students evaluated?
Teachers provide written evaluations for all students in their classes which detail the content of the course and the student's progress in the course. This much more informative report takes the place of traditional grades to form a student's transcript. High School students are also evaluated by assessing their own work and progress and providing a written evaluation of this when they complete a course. Students, parents, and teachers meet together three times a year to go over a student’s work, effort, responsibility, and social development, and homeroom teachers send home progress reports for each student in their homeroom.
What is homeroom?
Kino’s school day begins at 8:30 am. with a mixed age (K-12) homeroom. Homeroom is an important part of each day. Morning and afternoon homerooms are not optional. Kino students and teachers work together to form a learning community; a community of mutual trust, respect, understanding, and love for learning. A critical part of forming this community begins every morning in homeroom. At that time, announcements are read, plans discussed, and goals are set. Also, teachers plan activities for members of their homerooms to get to know each other better, to discuss issues, and to plan field trips or celebrations.
Students who participate in homeroom start their day in a more thoughtful, organized way. They are more involved and contributing members of our community.
Does Kino offer scholarships?
Kino is a tuition driven school. However, the Individual School Tuition Organizations Tax Credit was enacted by the legislature in 1997. For more information, click on this Tax Credit Organizations link. Additionally, certain students may qualify for the ESA Program. For more information, visit their website.
Do Kino students go to college? What do your alumni do?
Kino students are caring, capable, creative, hardworking, and thoughtful adults.
They have become teachers, doctors, social workers, chefs, soldiers, artists, entrepreneurs, journalists, emergency medical techs, musicians, lawyers, professors, and construction workers. Some of our students eventually return to Kino as parents, teachers, board members, and volunteers.
Kino students follow their dreams! You can find a Kino graduate:
Kino opened its doors to students in January, 1976.
What age do we begin accepting children?
A child can start attending Kino as a Primary student if he/she will be 5 by January 1st of that school year. Students can remain at Kino through high school.
What is the difference between a private school and a charter school?
Charter schools are state funded public schools established by the state in 1994 to offer more academic choices to parents and students. Each charter school has its own mission and governing board and is subject to rules and regulations established for public schools. Kino is a private, progressive school. They are nonprofit institutions governed by a board of directors and are dependent upon tuition, gifts and grants to provide funding. Their independence allows unique freedom for each school to determine its goals, its curricula and the credentials it demands from faculty and students. Private schools do not receive state funding and are not subject to the state board of education or the governing boards of the school district including the requirements for the AZ Merit Exams.
Without grade levels, how are students grouped?
Students are grouped by Primary, Mid-Level, Jr. High, and High School. In general, primary students are ages 4 ½ - 7, and the middle level students are ages 8 – 10, the Jr. High students are 11-13, and High School students are 14+ at the beginning of the school year.
For students of all ages, the curriculum at Kino is organized around problems, projects, and questions that students find most interesting and worthwhile. Our curriculum encourages students to acquire skills rather than focusing on facts that can be memorized and tested. Educational practices are based on student individual interests and developmental needs. We work from the recognition that each child is a unique individual, with his or her own history, strengths, and needs, and that teaching should be based on what is best for the child. There is an emphasis on problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication, and a sense of community and responsibility. Independence and interdependence work hand in hand toward development of the student as an integrated and contributing member of the community.
With a teacher-student ratio of 1:6, the Kino environment provides student-centered, individual, and small group instruction. Rich academic choices are offered throughout the year in Language Arts, Humanities, Social Studies, Math, Science, Shop, Music, Spanish, Gardening, independent and creative play, caring for the animals, and special individual projects.
Junior High students are encouraged to pursue their interests and develop their skills in a variety of areas while focusing on effective communication in reading and writing in their studies. They are required to take a language arts and math course, in addition to a minimum of three other electives or projects they'd like to pursue. Additional requirements include 15 hours of community service and a Looking Back/Looking Forward essay.
To graduate from high school, a Kino student must earn 22 credits, with each credit representing a year-long substantial class or project. High School students are encouraged to work towards goals that are meaningful to them; just like younger students. But the focus now is on tailoring one’s curriculum to what one plans to do after graduation. A student who is planning to go to college will want to take classes or work on projects that follow the general guidelines that most colleges require or recommend. High School students are also required to complete 30 hours of community service and write a Looking Back/Looking Forward essay each year.
Within those requirements, however, a Kino student will often have a myriad of choices. To earn an English credit, for example, a student may take a literature class, which might focus on a particular genre or author, or a writing class, which may be creative writing, essay writing, or journalism. A student can work one-on-one with a teacher, follow his or her own reading list, work on an extended writing project, or produce his or her own newspaper or magazine. To earn a history credit, a student may join a class, review documentaries, read historical fiction, or pursue his/her own idea.
As students grow through their years at Kino, they develop not only their academic skills, but also learn to balance freedom and responsibility. They learn that they are ultimately responsible for themselves. They also learn that they are members of a community that depends on them and values them.
Without grades how are students evaluated?
Teachers provide written evaluations for all students in their classes which detail the content of the course and the student's progress in the course. This much more informative report takes the place of traditional grades to form a student's transcript. High School students are also evaluated by assessing their own work and progress and providing a written evaluation of this when they complete a course. Students, parents, and teachers meet together three times a year to go over a student’s work, effort, responsibility, and social development, and homeroom teachers send home progress reports for each student in their homeroom.
What is homeroom?
Kino’s school day begins at 8:30 am. with a mixed age (K-12) homeroom. Homeroom is an important part of each day. Morning and afternoon homerooms are not optional. Kino students and teachers work together to form a learning community; a community of mutual trust, respect, understanding, and love for learning. A critical part of forming this community begins every morning in homeroom. At that time, announcements are read, plans discussed, and goals are set. Also, teachers plan activities for members of their homerooms to get to know each other better, to discuss issues, and to plan field trips or celebrations.
Students who participate in homeroom start their day in a more thoughtful, organized way. They are more involved and contributing members of our community.
Does Kino offer scholarships?
Kino is a tuition driven school. However, the Individual School Tuition Organizations Tax Credit was enacted by the legislature in 1997. For more information, click on this Tax Credit Organizations link. Additionally, certain students may qualify for the ESA Program. For more information, visit their website.
Do Kino students go to college? What do your alumni do?
Kino students are caring, capable, creative, hardworking, and thoughtful adults.
They have become teachers, doctors, social workers, chefs, soldiers, artists, entrepreneurs, journalists, emergency medical techs, musicians, lawyers, professors, and construction workers. Some of our students eventually return to Kino as parents, teachers, board members, and volunteers.
Kino students follow their dreams! You can find a Kino graduate:
- Helping set up a community arts collective in Ecuador
- Dancing in the Corps de Ballet of the New York City Ballet
- Researching early Soviet art in Moscow as a Fulbright scholar
- In Washington DC, working for the National Endowment for Democracy
- Teaching chemistry as a professor in New South Wales
- Helping refugees as a VISTA volunteer working with the International Rescue Committee
- Working as an industrial climber at Biosphere II
- Writing and drawing award winning graphic hovels for children
- Keeping our school computers running and hosting our website as the owner of Mighty Mouse Computer Consulting
- Teaching English in Japan
- Motorcycling around the United States and creating public radio audio journals of his experiences
- Managing a US congressional election campaign
- Dancing with the Rockettes at Rockefeller Center
Which colleges and universities have accepted Kino Graduates?
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The Ailey School
The American School of Ballet Antioch Arizona State University Art Center College of Design The Art Institute of Tucson Baird College Bates Berklee College of Music Bowdoin College Bryn Mawr College Clark University Colorado College Earlham College Eugene Lang College, New School University The Evergreen State College Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Florida Gulf Coast University Georgia Institute of Technology |
Gettysburg College
Goddard Gonzaga University Hampshire College Humboldt State University Institute of American Art in Santa Fe Kansas City Art Institute Knox College Lewis and Clark Macalester College Maryland Institute, College of Art Minneapolis College of Art and Design Mount Holyoke Muskingum College New York School of Visual Arts Northern Arizona University Oberlin Occidental Penn State Redlands Reed |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology Sarah Lawrence Savannah College of Art and Design Scottsdale Culinary Institute Seattle University Stanford University Stephens Swathmore Trinity University University of Arizona U of A Honors Program U of A BFA Program University of California at Santa Cruz University of Oregon University of Tampa Wake Forest University Wells College Westminster College |
