Barton County Academy will open up again after summer break on Monday, Aug. 7. Staff will start taking enrollments at noon.
The fall semester starts on Aug. 23.
Barton County residents age 19 or older can earn a high school diploma. The Academy also has an English as a Second Language (ESL) class for those wanting to improve their English, Site Director Becky Gillette said.
The Academy has agreements with school districts in Ellinwood, Hoisington and Great Bend, and a student can earn a high school diploma from his or her sponsoring school district.
“(Great Bend) USD 428 has stated that they will not sponsor students through Barton County Academy unless they are 19 or older,” Gillette noted. “This stipulation was in place last year and, while they did make one exception to that policy last year, it is not anticipated that they will make any more exceptions. I have been told that this will be a hard and fast rule. So, if a person is 19 or older and doesn’t yet have their high school diploma we will be delighted to visit with them!”
Students who are 16-18 years old who attend traditional high schools or alternative schools must be in attendance in the facility for 25 hours a week. Although many younger students who come from Hoisington or Ellinwood have transportation issues that make attendance difficult for that time frame, those districts will still sponsor younger students, Gillette said.