About Us - Inspire School of Arts & Sciences

About Inspire School of Arts & Sciences

This is learning, inspired.

Enroll Now for the 2026-27 School Year

Our Mission

Inspire School of Arts & Sciences is a tuition-free, award-winning, 9-12 public charter high school for students and families who think and learn outside the box.

We exist to encourage students to be the best version of themselves by providing a creative, connected, learning environment.

Our Vision

Inspire strives to motivate and empower its students to reach their intellectual, creative, personal, civic, and social potentials in a smaller, supportive environment in which all students feel safe, appreciated, and respected.

Inspire students learn to communicate effectively, think critically and creatively, question convention, solve problems, and become competent and resourceful users of technology.

Our school’s structure and teaching strategies are designed to foster excellence in all disciplines while preparing students for college and university-level scholarship.

Our School & Philosophy

Inspire is a collaboration between teachers, parents, students and community members, dedicated to creating a school that empowers students to explore and discover their personal talents and passions. It is our goal that Inspire students graduate with a vision of their future, motivating them to succeed in post-secondary education and in their future careers.

Our faculty and staff bring years of experience in creating and implementing successful educational programs that provide students with smaller, more personalized learning environments. We know that students learn best when they see connections between disciplines, classroom instruction, their own personal passions and skills, and their academic and career futures. Inspire’s instructional strategies and curriculum reveal those important connections, motivating our students to succeed.

Schoolwide Goals

A balanced curriculum of challenging academic courses and deep, rich performing arts, fine arts, and science/engineering programs

At their core, both art and science are about discovery. Because our goal is to help our students discover their own unique talents and personal passions, the arts and sciences are presented as a dual lens through which students view their learning and their experiences. Students apply core knowledge, scientific concepts, and knowledge and skills they develop in their pathway programs, to real-world problems and issues.

Enroll Now

Enroll Now for the 2026-27 School Year

Apply Today!

Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathways

At Inspire School of Arts & Sciences, students have the opportunity to explore and deepen their passions in different career and technical education (CTE) pathways. Most students at Inspire complete a pathway before graduation, and are encouraged to concurrently enroll in college courses at California State University, Chico or Butte College.

Each pathway offers hands-on learning experiences in their career or technical education area of interest. These experiences include but are not limited to SkillsUSA, theatre productions, college visits, career speakers, workplace tours, industry mentors, festival competitions, and internships.

Inspire offers the following pathways:

Design, Visual, and Media Arts

Production and Managerial Arts

Performing Arts

Engineering and Architecture

CTE Pathways

Opportunities to Earn College Credit

Inspire students have the opportunity to earn college credit in high school for FREE, simply by taking Inspire classes. We offer a variety of courses in English, Career and Life Planning, Instrumental and Electronic Music, Recording Arts, and Digital Media Arts. Students who pass these classes earn both high school and college credit through Butte College. Dual enrollment programs save students time and money, allow them to explore career fields and pathways, and prepare them for university-level scholarship. Students can also earn college credit through the Butte College Concurrent Enrollment and Chico State High School Scholars programs.

Dual Enrollment

An Award-Winning Education

Brag Sheet
- California Gold Ribbon School
- U.S. News & World Report – #1 Chico Area High School
- The leading art school in the Northstate:
  - National Arts Schools Network Exemplary Program
  - California Exemplary Arts Program
  - Annual “Artist in residence” workshop in partnership with Chico Performances. Curriculum utilizing inquiry-based instruction, applied sciences, cooperative learning, industry standard skill development, “flipped classroom” and formative assessment
- Procured grant funding over $630k supporting Arts and Engineering career pathways.
- Majors Program including: Science, Engineering, Fine Arts, Recording Arts, Digital/Media Arts, Musical Theatre, Dance, Vocal Music, Instrumental Music, Theatre, Technical Theatre, and Humanities.
- Most offerings of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) engineering courses in the Northstate.
- 2015 CAASPP 11th grade assessment results outperformed the state, county, and district:
- Highest standardized test scores in the Chico area in ELA, math, and science
- Advanced Placement program offering 9 AP classes (AP exam pass rate over 75%).
- Average graduation rate over 96% (2012 – 2019).
- Full 6 year WASC accreditation with no 3rd year visit required (2014 – 2020).
- Two charter renewals and lottery for incoming enrollment every year.
- Engaged student body of 450 who support many campus clubs, an inclusive environment, and are expected to lead their peers.
- A parent community that coordinates the Inspire Foundation which financially supports instructional projects and student scholarship.
- Innovative staff who value collective growth, peer observation, and open communication.
- Leadership who values shared-decision making, transparency, and empowering teachers
- Lead agency for the EngagED project supported by a $250k dissemination grant focused on student engagement with over 35 teachers participating throughout Butte County.
- Collaborative partners with Chico Unified School District, Butte County Office of Education, Butte College, CSU, Chico and local charter schools
- Gold Medal winners in SkillsUSA regional and state competitions in the area of Digital Media Arts
- National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Support Music Merit Award School See Student Documentary
- Rita Moreno Awards – Best Actor See student documentary about the awards ceremony
- Student performances at The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland See documentary about the trip
Click here to see more inspiring student videos.

Blending Personalization With Rigor: Our Approach

Inspire has established Ten Core Principles which serve as much of the foundation from which program development occurs. These Core Principles facilitate the blending of personalization with rigor. Inspire’s instructional design incorporates features that have been shown to be effective in helping students learn. These include:

A personalized environment where students are well-known by adults in the school

A rigorous curriculum, with high expectations for all students and an explicit focus on college preparation

A structure and curriculum which supports the development of both the head and heart

A strong connection with the community

A strong connection to local institutions of higher learning

A learning environment that is physically and emotionally safe and nurturing

A system of academic support to enable all students to attain the curriculum

Enrichment opportunities for all students

Grade-level Advisory which provides every student with the same Advisor and smaller group of students through their high school career.

Partnerships with parents for student success

Donate Now