Stevens Point Area Public School District’s charter school, Point of Discovery (PoDS), is doing so well the school will add ninth grade next school year.

The School Board unanimously approved an updated contract with the charter school Monday, Jan. 9, saying the amount of support received from the community indicated it was the right move.

Board member Amy Dailey said she has received few phone calls “on any issue” in her time on the board but recently received eight related to supporting the ninth-grade addition.

“With that kind of demographic and the number of people who were calling, I really think we need to support this,” she said.

PoDS is a collaborative Expeditionary Learning community that ignites a passion for learning through authentic experiences and partnerships that build character, intellectual achievement and civic responsibility.

It opened for the 2015-16 school year with students in grades six through eight. This year, the school has 100 students in those grades. Next year, the school is looking at 150 students, and with just 10 in the current eighth-grade class, staff hoped to add ninth grade to minimize transitions for the students.

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