About HCIS

Our Mission
Harbor City International School is an inclusive, tuition free, public high school committed to academic challenge, community engagement, creative expression, and global perspective. 

 

 

Harbor City International School is a public charter school that provides an alternative to traditional public education. As a charter school, we are publicly funded and tuition free, and offered greater flexibility in our curriculum, teaching methods, and school operations. This autonomy allows us to create unique learning experiences tailored to our students' needs and interests. While we have the freedom to innovate, we are held to high academic and financial accountability standards to ensure student success. Like all public schools, we are open to all students- unlike non-charter public schools, we are not limited to a school zone boarder, though we can only service students that live in Minnesota. 

 

HCIS currently serves grades 9 through 12.

 

• Is the school’s Learning Program a success?
• Is the school financially viable?
• Is the organization effective and well run?
  
  

HCIS benefits from a strong, supportive relationship with the charter authorizer. Volunteers of America-Minnesota’s role as an authorizer goes beyond the compliance based model set forth in state law.

VOA actively participates in the HCIS process of continuous improvement and vigilantly monitors financial and academic performance through visits and reviews of reports and data. Several times each year the sponsor liaison visits the school, observes classes, staff meetings, and board meetings, and provides feedback to the director and the board. VOA-MN also receives testing results, financial reports and various communications from the school and in return provides feedback to aid in the growth of the school. VOA’s emphasis on service learning has led HCIS in its development of programs that serve the greater community and provide leadership opportunities for students. VOA’s approach to shared accountability sets a tone and mindset for ongoing improvement which is a key ingredient to the success of HCIS as it focuses the school’s efforts on genuine, school-wide continuous improvement.