12 Utah charter school hopefuls submit bids for approval

SALT LAKE CITY — Twelve charter schools could soon join the Beehive State’s existing network after submitting proposals for formal consideration last week.

The proposals will be considered and ultimately approved or denied by the State Charter School Board during its upcoming review cycle.

Utah is currently home to 139 board-authorized charter schools, serving over 85,000 students — 13% of Utah’s public student population.

“Each proposal represents an opportunity to consider a new approach to serving Utah students,” Stephanie Speicher, chair of the State Charter School Board, said in a statement. “Our responsibility is to carefully evaluate every proposal against rigorous standards for academic quality, governance, financial sustainability, and long-term success before making any recommendation.”

Here’s a breakdown of the 12 proposed charter schools up for review from northern to southern Utah:

• Azure Fields High School: Proposed Utah County school serving grades 7-12 would become Utah’s first Waldorf-inspired high school.
• Builder Academy of Utah: Proposed central Salt Lake County high school focused on construction trades and career and technical education.
• Great Hearts Utah: Proposed K-8 classical liberal arts school in the Canyons School District and the first Utah campus of the multistate Great Hearts network.
• Juniper Grove Academy: Proposed K-5 hybrid school in southern Utah County, offering flexible scheduling.
• Keystone Academy of the Arts: Proposed Cache County high school combining classical education, liberal arts, and a four-day school week.
• Momentum Academy: Proposed Eagle Mountain high school emphasizing student well-being alongside personalized, mastery-based academics.
• PEAK Mastery Charter: Proposed Cache County K-12 personalized, competency-based hybrid school featuring both on-site instruction and off-site extended learning experiences.
• Philip Fox Academy of Learning: Proposed Midvale K-12 school built around its LEARN framework: Literacy, Equity, Agency, Relationships, and Neurodevelopment.
• Spectrum Academy: Proposed new campus in Washington County for an existing charter school focused on serving students with autism.
• Star Lotus Academy: Proposed elementary school in the Nebo School District based on Waldorf educational principles.
• Theodore Roosevelt Military Academy: Proposed Salt Lake County middle and high school using a military-structured educational model.
• Utah Early College High School: Proposed statewide hybrid high school designed to transition students from online college preparatory coursework in grades nine and 10 to full-time college enrollment during grades 11 and 12.

A release from the state board noted that proposals are just one step in a multistage review process each charter school is subjected to before being approved.

The board will determine in its September meeting which of the proposed schools, if any, will be invited to submit a full charter application for consideration during the 2027 approval cycle.

“The board’s application process is designed to ensure that any newly approved charter school has the governance, educational program, operational capacity, and financial foundation necessary for long-term success in serving Utah students,” Stacey Hutchings, executive director of the State Charter School Board, said in a statement.