GET STARTED ON THE PATH TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM

The application process is quick and easy. Complete the step-by-step application before February 28, 2026. Submit the required student information online, by mail, or in person. You will be notified as to whether your application has been accepted.

This year we are accepting applications for ninth & tenth grade students only. We'll be expanding by one-grade level each year until we have reached our capacity of 130 - 140 students in 2026/27. If applications outnumber available seats, a public lottery will be held on March 1, 2025. Following the lottery, a waitlist will be created according to the order applications were received - first come, first served.

Yes. If there is space available, transfer students are accepted first come, first served.

Once your application is completed, and all required student documents have been submitted, applications are reviewed by the enrollment team for accuracy and completeness. You will be notified of acceptance or wait-listing within 15 days of the close of applications on February 28, 2025.

We are a free, public charter school. Because we believe in removing barriers to quality education, we provide all our instruction and education at no cost to the students and families.

All Rooted students will receive free C-Tran passes in order to bus to school. Parking is also available for drop-offs/pick-ups.

Charter public school teachers must be certified, just like teachers at other public schools.

Tuition is free to families. Public charter schools are funded based on student enrollment, just like district public schools. If a student transfers from another public school to a charter public school, the costs and funding associated with educating that student follows that student to the charter school. Like any public school, charter public schools depend on a mix of federal and state funding, with some schools having privately fundraised budgets.

In many communities, traditional public schools are meeting the needs of local students, but not all communities are succeeding equally. In Washington, African American, LatinX, and Native American students are scoring between 15-20 percent lower on state assessments. According to initial state-wide assessment data, students at Washington’s public charter schools are making impressive gains in reading and math. We intend to join that charter school success as we build a bridge between underserved students and available financial opportunities.

Rooted School is a free, public Washington charter high school, that is part of a national charter system with strong graduation rates [in its school of origin/first graduating class 2021, located in New Orleans], and engaged youth in their own success and future aspirations. We open the 2023-24 school year to 9th grade students. We are all in to provide for every student: equitable access to a quality education, a school culture of inclusivity honoring our students and their families’ cultural background, and daily social and emotional support, all provided within a positive learning environment structured in small class sizes. We recognize the value of each child’s experience – educationally, emotionally, and preparedness, and their impact upon our community. We are honored to serve our Vancouver community of families and business leaders by contributing to the educational access landscape, youth that will be able, ready, and willing to serve SW Washington.

We provide work- and college-ready students to industry partners who are seeking thoughtful, creative, and innovative, technical thinkers and doers who can execute projects within a collaborative environment guided by “coaches” (teachers and industry experts). Students engage in real-world projects and scenarios with our local experts and community members as they learn soft and technical skills valuable to their college and career aspirations. Each sector – industry partner and educational partner – brings the opportunity to shift the financial trajectory of youth towards a career path of benevolence, service, and an actual career “ladder” that will lead each student into and beyond the middle class.

We offer students a local-focused, learning community that engages businesses to partner with us and more importantly, to become a Green Balloon Fellowship (GBF) partner. 21st Century businesses already know and have the data that supports the value of diverse employees – by gender, by income, by race, by philosophy, and by achievement – on their bottom line. Truly, “diversity” is key to success for everyone in our community:

“We all want something to offer. This is how we belong. It's how we feel included. So, if we want to include everyone, we have to help everyone develop their talents and use their gifts for the good of the community. That's what inclusion means - everyone is a [contributor].”

~ Melinda Gates

We will use a competency-based grading system.

Students will receive a grade based on how well they demonstrate a particular skill or content standard.

Students are evaluated on a 5-point scale; developing, emerging, proficient, and finally, mastery. Although RSV does not use traditional letter grades, our grading system will still translate to a traditional GPA for student transcripts and applications to college.

Yes! As a public school in SW Washington, RSV is authorized by the state. Therefore, students’ transcripts have the same standing as any other public high school. At RSV, students earn a minimum of 24 credits in order to graduate, and our transcript is recognized for acceptance into colleges and universities. Additionally, our students have the unique opportunity to earn industry credentials, as well as college credits, that help build their resume while still in high school!

We are pleased to call the Orchards community our home and provide the following benefits to our students:

An easily accessible learning center for students coming from the broader Vancouver region, and the county

A semi-isolated, business park and tree-populated campus, with increased connectedness to our broader community

Close proximity to our partnership organizations: Port of Ridgefield, where many regional and successful business coagulate, ZoomInfo, local medical facilities, High Tech Council of SW Washington, and drone industries (from manufacturing to sales in our region) who will benefit from the Rooted School Vancouver “pipeline” of ready and able future employees in a beyond-living wage career pathway. SW Washington has the greatest number of drone tech companies and manufacturers in the USA.

Close proximity to Clark College for college preparedness activities, community events and dual credit (earning college credit while in high school at our school site!)

Yes! RSV provides all Special Education services identified in a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and is committed to providing these services in the most inclusive environment. RSV’s Special Education Lead, will serve as a Case Manager for students who receive services, and we will contract for other related service providers.

Our school week will be Monday through Thursday, 8:30am-3:30pm, and Friday 8:30am - 12:35pm with a unique daily structure that incorporates time for community building, interdisciplinary learning, student designed learning experiences., and homework support. School days begin with the chance for students to check in with themselves, teachers, and other staff members. Time is then dedicated to team taught core classes and deep, investigative learning. This is followed by time devoted to student-directed learning, where students are guided by teachers in designing their own explorations and learning experiences. Longer blocks of time will allow students to investigate content from multiple perspectives, as well as deepen relationships among subjects.