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For a Turlock family deciding how to handle seventh grade next year, the school day could look different depending on one choice: teach at home with help from eCademy, or ask about independent study through a district middle school.
Turlock Unified will explain those plans and take questions Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m. at eCademy Charter at Crane School, 1100 Cahill Avenue, Turlock. In its Nov. 3 district update, Superintendent David Lattig said the school’s charter expires June 30, 2027 and invited families to weigh in on the changes.
What Would Change at Crane?
The district says it plans to expand the home-school program at Crane from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade to transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. It also plans to move the separate independent-study program for grades 7–12 to its comprehensive schools.
What a School Week Looks Like Today
In Crane’s current home-school program, the parent teaches at home using district curriculum. The school lists weekly appointments with a credentialed teacher and weekly science labs. Families considering the expanded option can ask what that support would look like for seventh- and eighth-graders.
Crane’s current middle-grade independent study and high-school independent study list online and in-person options. Both list weekly appointments for traditional independent study. The high-school page also describes concurrent enrollment at Turlock High or Pitman High, subject to school approval. Those pages describe the current offerings. Families can ask which options would carry over and where.
David told the Turlock Journal that moving independent study would help students stay connected to the schools they would otherwise attend, with access to resources such as counseling and sports. The state school directory lists Crane as an active public school that opened in August 2011.
What to Ask at the Meeting
Bring the grade your student will enter next year and one detail that would affect your decision. Ask which campus would handle enrollment and who would coordinate weekly check-ins. If your student relies on an in-person class or a particular support service, ask where it would be available. Ask when families can expect instructions for choosing a program.
If you cannot attend, David invited questions at dlattig@turlock.k12.ca.us. The district Board of Trustees page is where Turlock Unified posts agendas and minutes. For school boundaries and general registration, see our Turlock schools and childcare guide.
What Would You Ask Turlock Unified?
If your family has used home school or independent study in Turlock, what would you want the district to keep available next year?
