Feaster Charter School is one of 45 schools in the Chula Elementary School District, which is located 7 miles north of the California/Mexico border. The school campus is bordered on the North by Flower Street, the East by Jefferson Street, and finally on the South by E Street. The large district owned park area between Jefferson and Broadway is shared between the school during its operational hours, and the City of Chula Vista and Recreation Department after 6 p.m. and on weekends. Feaster is the neighborhood school for a highly dense area that includes multiple apartment buildings and four mobile home trailer parks. The school was built in 1950 as a 500-student facility. For many years this school served the community as a standard public school.
In 1997 in collaboration with teachers, staff, parents and students and with the approval of the Chula Vista Elementary School District School Board of education on March 4, 1997, the California State Board of Education granted Charter Number 60-37956. At that time Feaster became the second charter school in the Chula Vista Elementary School District as part of an effort to revitalize the current educational community of the school and to create a learning environment that promoted high academic standards and student achievement for all. CVESD purchased the land adjacent to the original site, added additional portable classrooms and built a multi-use playground facility to accommodate the school’s increased student population.
Feaster Charter School currently serves approximately1050 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, with 1030 attending general education classes. Feaster Charter is a neighborhood school; all of our students live within walking distance of the school with the exception of students attending on zone transfers.
Presently, approximately 70% of our students receive free and reduced price lunches. Over 73% of the children enrolled in the general education program are Title I students.
A large percentage of our students are English Language Learners (ELL). Currently, 53.5% of our students are classified as E.L.L.’s. Our student population is diverse with 4.9% African American, 4.8% White, 85.5% Hispanic, .7% Asian, 1.8% Filipino, .7% Pacific Islanders and .6% American Indian or Alaskan.
Feaster Charter School continues to struggle with high student turnover that at times exceeds a 35% mobility rate well over the District average. During the past two years our school has experienced a consistent decline in student population. The re-development of the western side of Chula Vista has caused many of our families to be priced out of homes and apartments in our school’s attendance area. During the next five years our student demographics may change dramatically.