The American Prep story began in 2003 with a small group of dedicated parents who wanted better opportunities for their children. Almost 20 years later, American Preparatory Academy has become an award-winning public charter school, now serving over 5,000 students at six campuses in Utah.
2021 marks our 18th year as a tuition-free public charter school with Draper, Salem, and two Title 1 campuses in West Valley City. Click here to see the timeline of our school expansion.
Draper 1 – K-6 students WVC 1 – K-6 students
Draper 2 – K-6 students WVC 2 – K-12 students
Salem – K-9 students Draper 3 – 7 – 12 students
Our Philosophy
American Prep is a classical-liberal arts school with an aim to educate both the minds and hearts of our students. Human flourishing is the goal of classical education. Our program strongly focuses on rigorous academics, virtuous character development, and college preparation. Click here to learn more about the APA Philosophy and what makes an APA education so important.
Accreditation
APA is accredited. Accreditation is a very rigorous process and is required for public schools by Utah state law. American Prep recently completed our 5-year Accreditation review and received high marks! Click here to learn more about APA’s 2021 Accreditation.
Helping our students thrive through Achievement Groups
The APA program is rigorous. It requires focus, strong study habits, and support from home for students to succeed. We understand, however, that not every child who comes to American Prep will meet grade-level standards right away. Children are often more advanced in one subject and may need more help in another when they come to our school. These differences in aptitude are why American Prep utilizes small achievement groups in elementary school to support students where they are and help them develop. Each pupil is assigned to a group of similar achieving students in Reading, Spelling, and Math to help improve their performance and reach or exceed grade standards.
Each week our teaching staff and administration evaluate individual performance. If a child needs additional support in a subject, the team will assign them to the appropriate group to receive support. If students demonstrate strong mastery of a subject, the administration may transition them to a more advanced group to be challenged academically. All students reconvene with their homeroom teacher throughout the day.
College Readiness
At its core, American Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free college preparatory school focused on delivering the best education possible to students all over Utah.
Most of the standard courses we offer at APA are honors-level courses that challenge students’ daily preparation for college. We work hard to have an above-average ACT score and support students through ACT prep. We also help each of our students apply to the college of their choice, several backup colleges, and scholarships. This allows our students to achieve academically and focus on their future endeavors in education. Our focus on academic achievement and character development pairs academic ability and work ethic, making students more able to succeed in any endeavor. Many of our students choose college and are well prepared to take that step with an American Prep education as their foundation.
Inclusive Education at APA
American Prep has also become known for its innovative Inclusive Education program. At American Prep, we understand that all children, including those with special needs, must one day “meet and navigate the real world.” In typical special education programs, SPED students are separated from their classmates for individualized learning. We believe that when students are pulled out of class, they miss critical instruction and opportunities to socialize with their peers. This results in two detrimental outcomes: stigma with resulting emotional harm, and academic inequities (holes and gaps) that are often never addressed.
To avoid these outcomes, American Prep educates its special needs students alongside their peers to the maximum extent possible or in the “least restrictive environment” (LRE). Additionally, we keep our students’ designations as “disabled” confidential to the greatest extent possible to reduce harmful stigma.
Our commitment to addressing students’ social-emotional and academic needs has resulted in our innovative “Inclusive Education” model that we offer today.
To learn more about APA’s Inclusive Education program, click here.
Celebrating our freedom and honoring those who secure it
In addition to preparing our students for college, we firmly believe in educating our students about valuing our freedoms as Americans and those who fight to secure them. At APA, we celebrate three important holidays; Constitution Day, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. Each of these celebrations is live-streamed each year to share this message of freedom with all Americans. Click here to learn more about these fantastic events.
Supporting military families
American Preparatory Academy holds our military families in high esteem. We understand the challenges our active duty military families and students experience which is one of the reasons we strive to make transitions as smooth as possible.
At APA, we offer resources and support for military families through each of our campus administrators, counselors, and student ambassadors. If you are an active-duty military family in need of support as you transition your students to American Prep, we encourage you to connect with us.
Click here to learn more about how APA supports military families.
Recognition and Awards
American Prep has received recognition throughout the years for its strong focus on academics, character development programs, and college preparation.
APA Draper 3 received recognition from the US News & World Report Best High School Rankings, receiving awards for College Readiness and Best Overall High School in 2020 and 2021.
APA has received 12 Best of State Utah Awards and was recognized as Charter School of the Year in 2011 by the UAPCS.
Click here to learn more about APA’s awards and recognition.
APA across the world
American Preparatory Academy has been fortunate to support our sister school, African Preparatory Academy in Zambia, since 2010. Because of generous APA families, we continue to send resources like curriculum, teacher training, computers, and more through the American Preparatory Education Foundation. We believe everyone should have access to education and are excited to support our students across the world.