In 2002 a group of dedicated parents submitted a charter school application for a new school, American Preparatory Academy. The model was based on a highly successful school in Colorado – Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy. The school focus was rigorous academics and virtuous character development, utilizing small achievement-level groupings in elementary school – all in an environment of fun and enthusiasm. The application was approved and the first Draper school was born.
The school opened at capacity, with a long waiting list. Parents, students, and teachers shared a common vision and created a school where students were challenged academically and were given the leadership skills they would need to “change the world for the better”. Over the years our scores continued to climb and waitlists continued to grow.
We wanted to help more children and families so in 2009, The School for New Americans, serving many immigrants and refugee children, opened in West Valley City to serve 570 students. Our new campus was quickly filled with students eager to learn and who responded quickly to the masterful instruction of our teachers and the challenging curriculum the school provides. The waiting lists demanded another West Valley school, including a high school so students in West Valley could enter kindergarten and complete their entire K-12 education at an American Prep school. Our 3rd campus, The Accelerated School opened in WVC in 2011 with the goal to prepare students for university-level study.
In 2013, we returned to Draper and opened a 975-student campus for students in grades K-9. The Draper High School has been approved and will open a new facility in the fall of 2017.
The governing board of Liberty Academy, a charter school in Salem, Utah, contracted with American Preparatory Schools in the summer of 2013, and the Salem Campus of American Prep joined the family of schools in Utah. There are currently 5 American Prep campuses in Utah:
Draper 1 – K-6 students WVC 1 – K-9 students
Draper 2 – K-12 students WVC 2 – K-12 students
Salem – K-9 students Las Vegas – K – 12 students
Some very enthusiastic families and friends who live in Las Vegas determined they would have an American Prep school for their children, and in 2010 began the long process of applying for a charter in Nevada. After much hard work and many obstacles, American Prep opened in Las Vegas in the fall of 2014, serving 400 students in grades K-9. A second Las Vegas campus was opened in the fall of 2015 to serve nearly 1,000 students in grades K-10. Grades 11 and 12 are currently enrolled as well.
Our story in 2010, American Prep had the opportunity to open African Preparatory Academy at the Mothers Without Borders Childrens’ Resource Center in Lusaka, Zambia. The school serves 120 students. They are our sister school, and we provide curriculum, teacher training, and support through the American Preparatory Education Foundation.