Skip to content American Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free public charter school. Our charter sets out what we promise Utah families and how we are held to it.
A charter school is a public school that operates under a written agreement, called a charter, with a state authorizer. The charter names the school’s mission, describes its educational program and sets the standards it must meet. In return, the school is free to offer a distinctive program, like our classical education.
American Prep has operated under a charter since our first campus opened in Draper for the 2003–04 school year. Our authorizer is the Utah State Charter School Board, which reviews our academic, financial and operational performance. Like every Utah public school, we charge no tuition for kindergarten through 12th grade.
To provide a classical, liberal arts education through an orderly, safe and nurturing learning environment wherein content-rich, efficient curriculum and research-based instructional methodologies are utilized to ensure that every student achieves academic success and develops good character based on concrete measurements.
Both documents open as PDFs in a new tab.
Schedule A of our charter lists the key elements of an American Prep education. They are promises we are accountable for at every campus.
Instruction and courses follow the three classical phases: grammar, logic and rhetoric. Students build knowledge first, then learn to reason with it, then to express it well.
Direct Instruction and Precision Teaching shape the early grades. Elementary students learn reading, math and language arts in achievement-level groups and move up as they grow.
The Core Knowledge Sequence is the base of our K–8 curriculum. Students study logic from kindergarten through 9th grade, and secondary students take Latin.
Every K–8 student takes music and art. Character and leadership education is built into the schedule in every grade.
We work to give every student, including students with disabilities, equal access to a fully inclusive school, with a focus on the least restrictive environment.
Our programs are research-based and field-tested. Teachers check skill progress weekly, and we report student outcomes to parents often.
Our charter is more than a founding document. It is a working agreement, and three layers of accountability keep us to it.
The Utah State Charter School Board reviews our performance and can conduct audits, site visits and records reviews. We submit required reports on time and follow state and federal law.
Our governing board holds final responsibility for American Prep’s academic, operational and financial performance. Meet the board.
Board meetings follow Utah’s open meetings law, and meeting information is posted for anyone to see. Our charter and its key documents are published on this page.
When a campus has more applicants than open seats, admission is decided by lottery. Our charter gives enrollment preference to:
Tuition-free for kindergarten through 12th grade at eight Utah campuses. A tour is the best way to see what an American Prep education looks like.
