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School Name
Academy of Math and Science Glendale
School Address
4540 W. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301
Phone Number / or Email for inquiries
How long has your school been open?
AMS Glendale opened on July 25, 2019 and has been open for 3 months.
About how many children are served
AMS Glendale currently serves 1100 students.
What grades does your school currently offer?
K-8
How did your school begin and what are some of the reasons it was started?
In 2000, AMS Founder Tatyana Chayka opened the very first AMS school for 30 students including her son in Tucson, Arizona. As a recent immigrant to the United States, Ms. Chayka couldn’t afford piano and guitar lessons, professional art instruction, and foreign language classes that she felt her son needed and deserved. To bridge this resource gap and meet her son’s academic needs, she founded the first Academy of Math and Science as a place where students of all backgrounds could receive a strong education in mathematics, science, English language arts, and social studies, and receive fine arts, music, and foreign language instruction that they may not have access to otherwise. Twenty years later, AMS Glendale opened to serve 1100 students who deserve the same well-rounded education that Ms. Chayka’s first 30 students received.
AMS Glendale is the 7th AMS school in Arizona. AMS staff worked with Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and countless partners in the area to identify a community that lacked school choice, needed proven academic programs, and offered students of all backgrounds the chance to build their foundation for success in high school and beyond. At the groundbreaking for the school, Mayor Weiers said:
“Today’s groundbreaking is really just the answer we’ve asked for…the students who attend here will not only be prepared for college, but they’ll also be setting a standard among other students in the state of Arizona in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math…our students need to be inspired at an early age to try these subjects.”
What types of students or communities does your school serve?
The Academy of Math and Science Glendale primarily serves economically disadvantaged students who participate in Free and Reduced Lunch programs. AMS Glendale serves a majority Hispanic community with parents and families who work long hours, multiple jobs, and speak Spanish in the home.
Why do you personally feel your school is a great option for Arizona families?
AMS Glendale is a great option not only give all children an education that advances their knowledge and skills to above grade level but also because this school provides more support for parents than any other school I’ve worked for. AMS Glendale has a 200-day school calendar (twenty more days than local public schools) and offers an extended school day that provides students with an additional hour of instruction time. AMS Glendale also offers before and after school-care because we know that Arizona families who work long hours want peace of mind knowing that their child is in a safe, nurturing environment fully focused on student success.
What makes your school unique, and how do you meet the unique needs of your students?
AMS Glendale is the only school in its area to:
- Offer an 8-hour school day, compared to the standard 7-hour day.
- Offer a 200-day calendar year, compared to the standard 180-day calendar.
- Offer after-school tutoring and homework help to 100% of students in need and interested parents/students.
- Offer a full range of sports in all grade levels including basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, and more. AMS sports take place on campus on state-of-the-art fields and courts and at other schools as part of the Canyon Athletics Association.
- Offer a standardized range of clubs and non-sport extracurricular opportunities. AMS Glendale is staffed intentionally considering teachers interests so we can provide students with strong coaches, mentors and leaders for all types of activities.
In addition to the above programs, AMS Glendale uses the proven Academies of Math and Science curriculum designed to weave academic, social-emotional, and cultural learning into each lesson and subject so students develop a lifelong love of learning, achieve above grade level academics, and understand their role as citizens in their communities.
How We Meet Unique Student Needs:
With proven programs, passionate teachers, and tireless dedication to student success, AMS Glendale meets and exceeds the unique needs of every student. To give all students the foundation for meaningful learning, AMS Glendale provides warm meals, safe classrooms, dedicated teachers, and a well-rounded academic program. Whether it be helping Special Education (SPED) students realize their incredible potential, helping students learn English for the first time, or pushing students that are behind grade level standards to above grade level achievement, AMS Glendale goes above and beyond to provide students the resources and support they need to grow as individuals and as scholars.
What makes your school a place that teachers want to be at?
The AMS Teaching Motto is to “empower great talent through great culture.” At AMS Glendale, great culture is built upon the tremendous effort of teachers who work longer days over an extended school year so that every student receives the care, attention, and academic guidance they deserve. Just like their students, our teachers love the well-rounded rigor of the AMS academic program. With regular observations, support from the AMS District, and professional development, our teachers flourish in an academic community that encourages them to grow alongside their students. In the words of one AMS teacher:
“Everyone is always looking for ways to be better for our students! I am proud to work in an encouraging environment that is so positive and uplifting…AMS has a wonderful staff that works arduously to meet the needs of their community and push students to accomplish their goals.”
What does a day in the life of a typical student at your school look like?
A typical day for an AMS Glendale elementary school student (K-5) begins before 8:00 a.m. with a study skills and homeroom session to prepare for the day. Students use this time to review homework, ask the teacher questions, or work with their peers. Teachers also use this period for informal lessons to frame the day’s learning. At 8:15 a.m., students transition to a core subject class, typically reading and/or writing. Shortly before 11:00 a.m. students break for lunch and recess to exercise and energize themselves in anticipation of the rest of the day. Around a quarter to noon students return to their homeroom class for math and science instruction for an hour and half where they engage with the core of the AMS program—STEM learning and research designed to prepare them for a successful career. After math and science, students transition to Russian or Mandarin (their choice), Art, P.E., and Computer Science on a rotating basis throughout the week in classes taught by subject matter experts to build more than just core subject skills. Finally, AMS students return to their primary classroom for Social Studies before heading home around 4:00, provided they do not participate in after school tutoring, programs, extracurriculars, or daycare.
AMS Middle School students follow a similar schedule covering all core subjects, a foreign language, and music. However, starting in 6th grade, AMS middle school students will choose between a technology or fine arts track. Middle School students in both tracks will still participate in both technology and art classes but attend more classes in the subject of their choice. AMS Glendale recognizes that by the time they enter Middle School, students often display interest in specialized areas of their education that will ultimately become the foundation of their interests and success in high school and college.
AMS students in all grades typically have between 1 to 2 hours of homework each night. Students in higher grades often have more homework requirements to reinforce learning and to progress toward demonstrating mastery of more complicated concepts.
If your school is private, what types of scholarships or financial assistance do you have for families?
AMS Glendale is a non-profit charter school with no tuition costs. However, there is a small fee for our full-day Kindergarten program to offset limited state funding.
What are some of the characteristics you would say describe the students / environment at your school?
AMS students are:
- Hard-working
- Knowledgeable in a variety of subjects
- Globally aware thinkers who learn a foreign language and embrace cultural diversity
- Creative scholars who learn to play musical instruments and create art projects
- Advanced learners who learn and perform above grade level and above Arizona averages
- Mindful members of their community, both in school and at home
AMS Glendale’s environment is:
- Uncompromising in its commitment to a student-first focus
- Positive, safe, and nurturing with a zero-tolerance policy for bullying
- Continuously improving to meet unique parent and student needs. Parents and community members are involved in the school’s operation while the school is under construction and each day the school is open.
- Rigorous: AMS Glendale students and teachers enjoy hard work and all that comes with it.
- Our social environment is collaborative where students, teachers, and administrators all work together to learn and grow
What is something you’d like to make sure we know about your school, or something that you would like prospective families to know?
Taken as a single school, the AMS District outperformed 93% of K-8 schools in Arizona serving similar communities (at least 80% of students participating in free and reduced lunch) based on last year’s AzMERIT. Our flagship school, AMS Prince, outperformed 99.68% of schools (total 635) serving at least 65% students participating in free and reduced lunch.
As the AMS program has evolved over the last two decades, parent involvement has been one of our greatest assets. All 7 AMS schools each have their own community adaptations driven by parent and student demand. From unique sports and clubs to on-site student laundry, each AMS school’s parent community is involved in the design and improvement of school operations. We encourage all families that consider enrolling their child at an AMS schools to get involved in the design of their perfect school!
Additionally, here are a few examples of sports and clubs offered at all AMS schools: basketball, cross country, track & field, soccer, softball, volleyball, guitar/piano/music clubs, foreign language clubs (Mandarin, Russian, Spanish), robotics, science Olympiad, student council, choir/drama/glee, art, and more!
All extracurriculars and clubs are hosted in our state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that includes:
- Full basketball courts
- Full turf fields for soccer and football
- 1:2 student to laptop ratio
- Guitars, pianos, drums, bass guitars, and more
- Science labs with robots, microscopes, and research tools
Why do you believe school choice and educational freedom are important for Arizona families?
At AMS, there is a firm belief that school choice and educational freedom are a major part of how communities grow. In AMS’s experience, high-quality schools spur meaningful school competition that often leads to a neighborhood upward spiral that results in better schools, more businesses, increased community resources and safety, and better neighborhoods.
What’s the best way for families to talk to someone if they are interested in your school? Who should they contact?
Please feel free to reach out to our enrollment team at [email protected] or 602-584-6625 for any questions or to schedule a tour.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your school(s) that we didn’t ask? Anything else you’d like prospective families to know about?
In the spirit of “Love Your School,” we would like prospective families to know that we truly love what we do. We love going above and beyond for our students by providing a well-rounded academic program to help students discover lifelong passions. We love going above and beyond for our students by offering extensive support, extracurriculars, sports, and clubs all in our safe, state-of-the-art facilities. We love being a part of the team that can call students, parents, and members of our community “family” at AMS Glendale.
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