Harmony Science Academy

Harmony Science Academy (also, Harmony Science Academies) is a college-preparatory charter school system in Texas and Louisiana. The Harmony schools are founded, organized, and operated by the non-profit Cosmos Foundation. Harmony Science Academy has experienced a period of rapid expansion during the last six years, since the opening of its first school in Houston, for the 2000-2001 school year, followed by the opening of Harmony Science Academy Austin the next year and Harmony Science Academy Dallas two years later. Currently, the Harmony Science Academy school system has 14 schools, including locations in El Paso, Bryan, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Beaumont, Lubbock, Waco, and San Antonio, with plans to open more for the 2008-2009 school year, including a school in New Orleans,and Laredo.

Uniqueness of curriculum

Harmony Science Academy schools provide highly accelerated programs of learning, with students often having received the required amount of high school credits for reception of a high school diploma by the 11th grade although they stay until the 12th grade to complete college level courses. Harmony Science Academy schools have a stronger focus on the education of mathematics and science than on other subjects. However, a wide variety of subjects are taught at the schools due to the flexibility of the charter school system, which allows the Harmony Science Academy schools to adapt curricula based on the needs and desires of their students. Nearly each Harmony Science Academy school opens only with acceptance of students into a middle school, from the 6th grade to the 8th grade, and a grade is added each year. Many times, an elementary school is added to a Harmony school once it has established itself. Harmony Science Academy Houston and Harmony Science Academy Austin both have all grade levels, including kindergarten, as they are the oldest charter schools of the school system. This will be followed by the inclusion of all grade levels in Harmony Science Academy Dallas and Harmony Science Academy Bryan/College Station in the 2008-2009 school year. As of September 2008, the Texas Education Agency had recognized all Harmony Science Academy schools as either "Exemplary" or "Recognized".

Participation in Competition

Harmony Science Academy school students participate in a wide variety of different competitions because of the school's emphasis on extracurricular activity. Competitions in which Harmony Science Academy schools are especially active include MathCounts, Science Olympiad, FLL (First Lego League) and Science Fair. Harmony Science Academy schools have advanced to the state level in each of these competitions.

External links

* [http://hsatx.org/ Harmony Science Academy Schools]
* [http://www.harmonyschools.org/ Front website for all Harmony schools]
* [http://www.hsadallas.org/ One of the newer schools, location: Dallas, TX]
* [http://www.isweeep.org/ International Science Olympiad organized by Harmony Schools]
* [http://www.cosmostx.org/ The founding organization's website]
* [http://www.kfdm.com/onset?id=19767&template=article.html Beaumont KFDM media article on HSA Beaumont]