About NCS

Main Campus:  2550 Portland Street, Eugene, OR 97405

Satellite Sites:  MECCA, Peace Village (in the Overpark Downtown), Yurt in Alton Baker Park

Administration Office:  541-344-1229

Network Charter School (NCS) is chartered by Eugene School District 4J to provide a free, comprehensive, standards-based program to students in grades 7 through 12.  We enroll up to 150 students.  Students may earn regular high school diplomas, study for the GED, or, with the help of a counselor, design their own educational plans to achieve personal goals.  Eugene 4J reviews NCS programs annually and conducts periodic charter renewal evaluations, to assure accountability with respect to standards.  NCS is accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission.

Students come to NCS for a variety of reasons and from a broad spectrum of the community.  We believe one deeply motivating factor drives them: the experiences offered by regular public schools are not helping them achieve their potential.  For most students, local public schools provide a rich and well-conceived, cost-effective education.  But students who come to NCS did not prosper in the big classes and larger schools of the mainstream.  They could not find the “sweet spot” into which they could settle and begin to benefit from instruction.  At NCS they find a home.

NCS is a uniquely structured institution.  Courses are offered by five member organizations that offer both NCS courses and other community education experiences.  Each exists as an independent entity with a mission to serve the community through activities that promote knowledge and skill in a particular area.  For instance, in addition to NCS courses:

• Nearby Nature hosts a broad range of camps and nature study events in Alton Baker Park for families and children.
• The Eugene Glass School offers fee-based workshops in fusing and flame work. 
• MECCA (Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts) offers workshops in sewing and visual arts, mounts exhibitions of art, and sponsors competitions.
• Le Petit Gourmet operates a cookie cart and a catering service.
• Peace Village sponsors camps and events that teach about peace making.

Each member group provides services to youth enrolled at NCS through courses that tap the expertise of the organization while addressing state graduation standards in a comprehensive program.  We involve more than 50 additional community members, who share their knowledge with students, showing real-world applications of academics.  A sixth nonprofit, Evergreen Development Network, provides management, taking care of the business side of the school and ensuring faithful implementation of the terms of the charter.