Charter school administrators in Maryvale say their specialized schools will prepare the area's youth for success in today's world.

Founding director Peter Boyle said the Western School of Science and Technology is needed in the area. The education system often doesn’t give students in areas such as Maryvale a fair chance, he said.

“The education sector has in many ways, for too long, held negative stereotypes about communities that are low-income or communities with a large proportion of minority residents for no reason,” he said.

Numbers also played a role in why Western chose Maryvale, which Boyle said has a demand for education that doesn’t always match the supply.

“Maryvale has more children under 18 than any other neighborhood in the city," he said. "There’s 75,000 children under 18 in Maryvale, and there’s only six high school options."

He plans to add to that number. Western expected 200 students on the first day, but now has 250 in grades seven to nine. Eventually, it will have students in seventh through 12th grades.

And as its full name suggests, Western emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math – commonly known as STEM. Most electives at the school feature some type of STEM, such as robotics or computer coding.

Even though standardized testing has made its way to the forefront of public schooling, Boyle said Western wants more than high test scores and graduation rates.

“It’s working around the mindset that students in Maryvale can succeed, will succeed at high levels, and that it will be sustained -- not just while students are here with us on campus, but throughout a student’s lifetime,” he said.

Less than two miles down the road, a prep school serving younger students also opened its doors in August. EAGLE College Prep teaches kindergarten through third grades and will eventually go up to eighth. It has specialized classes, such as one that has personalized lessons for each student. Another class down the hallway focuses on writing.

Founding director Yesenia Fitzhugh also said her school is about more than test scores. EAGLE's name stands for Expecting Academic Greatness with a Loving Emphasis. In other words, the school wants to care for the child, not just their education. Fitzhugh said it’s the best part about working there.

"It's just seeing those kiddos with those smiles on their faces, and their 'good mornings' and 'happy to be here's,' and telling their parents, 'I need to be there; I need to be at school,' -- that to me, that is it, right there,” she said.

Next fall, EAGLE will expand to fourth grade, and Western will add 10th grade. Both administrators say such specialized schools will prepare Maryvale youth for success in today’s world.