The American Prep story began in 2002 with a small group of dedicated parents who envisioned a school for their children that would help them to flourish and be happy people, and who would grow up and support America’s democratic republic as well-informed citizens. 20 years later, we are still excited every day to see our happy students grow and achieve. American Preparatory Academy has become an award-winning public charter school, now serving over 5,000 students at six campuses in Utah.
Click here to see the timeline of our school expansion.
Draper 1 – K-6 students West Valley City 1 – K-6 students
Draper 2 – K-6 students West Valley City 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 fully accredited in all grades K-12. Accreditation is renewed every five years. Click here to learn more about APA’s 2021 Accreditation.
Helping our students thrive through Achievement Groups
Our award-winning academic model is based on the belief that all children can learn, and will be successful if placed in the right instructional setting, provided with interesting and challenging material, and led by positive, encouraging teachers. Learning is naturally fun, and being enthusiastic about learning is something we are passionate about! The truth is that we all have areas of strength – we may be advanced in one area and and may need more help in another. Yet students benefit from being with others at all levels as they discuss literature and poetry, learn history and science. 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.
