On Aug. 9, Legacy Traditional Schools, a charter school system with schools across the San Antonio area, opened a new 87,000-square-foot campus in Cibolo that can host around 1,400 prekindergarten through eighth-grade students.

Legacy Traditional School-Cibolo is a tuition-free public charter school for kindergarten through eighth grade that offers fee-based programs, including Legacy Kids Care, Legacy Summer Camps and prekindergarten. Qualifying families and staff may be eligible for free or discounted rates.

Legacy Traditional Schools also participate in the National School Lunch Program, providing free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches for families in need, Public Relations Specialist Morgan Gibson said.

The Cibolo campus was set to be complete by the start of the 2022-23 school year, but supply chain issues delayed construction, she said. As a result, classes began Aug. 9 and are being held in portable classrooms, safely distanced from ongoing construction, she said.

The campus is set to be complete by the start of the spring semester, given there are no more delays, Gibson said.

Principal Terrica Young said the new school offers a variety of clubs, camps and after-school programs as well as other enrichment opportunities.

Young said the school takes a traditional approach to education by centralizing information and classroom activities around the instructor.

“The traditional approach to learning is not something we see in local districts,” Young said. “The [public] ISD schools are very technology-driven, and what I like most about Legacy is that we are not void of technology; however, it does not drive our instruction.”

By using traditional methods to teach lessons, such as phonics and phonetics, Young said she hopes to see an increase in literacy in the community, which she said has lapsed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and home-based virtual learning.

Legacy also offers students an opportunity to choose paths that align with their interests, allowing students to take music or physical education classes four days a week with the remaining weekday set aside for classes the student did not choose.

“We want students who are more physically inclined or artistically inclined to be able to participate and focus on the things they love to do while still giving them exposure to other activities,” Young said.

Young said she also wants to encourage parents to volunteer, which would help the school expand the activities it offers.

“We are excited about the opportunity to be here, and we are open to networking with families and drawing from their skill sets,” Young said. “We welcome volunteer [opportunities] that parents or the community can be part of, and that would help us add more clubs and activities. We also have some of the best teachers in the world.”