Charter schools are public school.  Charter schools do not charge tuition and are not private schools.  

Charter schools are funded by the state, the same as any public school.  However, charter schools are not part of a regular school district, and so function as independent schools.  Learn more about Utah Charter Schools. 

Charter schools are subject to the same laws and regulations as other public schools, and must conform to laws regarding religion in schools, school fees, civil rights, annual reports, special education and heath and safety regulations. 

Charter schools are small, community-based schools that each have their own focus.  Some schools focus on technology and others focus on performing arts.  Venture Academy is an Expeditionary Learning school.  

Charter schools provide parents and students with choices in education at no additional cost.  We hope you take the time to explore the variety of charter schools available in our area and make a choice that's right for you and your child. 

Charter School enrollment works on a first come, first served basis.  Once enrollments for a specific grade reach capacity, all future students are placed into a lottery.  Students are randomly chosen from the lottery and placed on the waiting list on a monthly basis.  As seats become open, students are contacted according to their order on the waiting list.  

Because one of our goals is to keep families together, siblings are given enrollment preference.  That means that if one child is accepted, his siblings are moved from wherever they currently are on the Waiting List to the bottom of the Sibling List.    

 Additionally, Venture Academy maintains an articulation agreement with Promontory School of Expeditionary Learning, located in Perry, UT.  This agreement allows students who complete 8th grade at Promontory to be added to the bottom of Venture's Sibling List for 9th grade.  

Currently Venture Academy has no waiting list for grades 9 and 10.  

No, once your student is accepted into the school, their enrollment is permanent.  This includes students moving from junior high to high school.  

Charter schools are open to all students, regardless of race, religion, gender, status, or other preference just as any other public school. Charter schools may limit enrollment based on capacity, which means students are sometimes placed on a waiting list if there are more applications than spots available.

There is no tuition.

Public charter schools receive funding from the State of Utah in the same way as all other public schools.  

Student fees do apply in middle and high school grades, but these are comparable to fees charged in other public schools.  These fees can be waived for students who qualify. 

Yes.  Through our partnership with Expeditionary Learning, all teachers at Venture Academy receive professional training at significantly higher levels than required by the State of Utah.  

Teachers maintain proper Utah licensure, meet board requirements, and regularly participate in collaborative learning and teaching strategies.  

Read more about our teachers:

Venture K-8 Faculty and Staff

Venture High Faculty and Staff 

Most charter schools offer specialized areas of concentration.  For example, some schools specialize in technology education, or performing arts education.  So what is Venture's focus?

Venture Academy is an Expeditionary Learning school.  Expeditionary Learning is a national organization that connects like-minded schools across the country for collaboration in education reform and provides substantial professional development opportunities for all teachers.  

Venture Academy's focus is on developing excellence in education through a depth-over-breadth and cross-disciplinary approach to experiential learning.  

Learning at Venture happens in a series of "Expeditions" that allow students to engage with the curriculum on a deeper level.  Expeditions offer a thematic lens through which students experience learning.  They include fieldwork opportunities, expert visits to the classroom, and the creation of final products that impact the real-world.  Students are pushed to achieve their personal best as they revise all work through multiple drafts and constructive group work.  Students at Venture write in all disciplines, work hard in Math, and present their work often.  

Revision and public speaking are skills practiced from kindergarten through graduation.  Students present their work to parents at Student-Led Conferences and to the community at Celebrations of Learning.  As students grow, they begin to present their work in more formal events called "Passages".  Passages help students reflect on their growth as a learner and give the Venture Community an opportunity to celebrate each child's individuality.  

Yes.  Venture Academy has a uniform policy that specifies color and type of acceptable clothing from kindergarten through high school.  This policy helps us encourage order, simplicity, and student focus on learning.  

Students can wear tan or navy bottoms and red, white, or navy blue collared tops.  Click here to read the full uniform policy.  

No.  Charter schools draw students from a wide area, making daily transportation impractical.  Parents are responsible for transporting their students to and from school each day.  

Students are allowed in the building ten minutes before the start of classes and should be picked up within twenty minutes of the end of the school day.  

Carpools and public transportation are encouraged.  Our office staff may be able to connect you with a carpool in your area. 

Yes.  Venture Academy participates in the federal food program.  We offer healthy food choices for breakfast and lunch daily. 

Yes!  One of Venture Academy's Values is Family.  

We encourage parents to be an active part of our school community, and we ask parents to offer 30 hours of volunteer work each school year. Parents can volunteer to help out in a classroom, with the library, in the cafeteria, at recess, on fieldwork, or at celebrations.  There's always so much to do!  

Teachers will ask for volunteers with projects throughout the year, but any ideas you have to help out are most welcome!

Absolutely!  Visit our Contact page to send an email or find our phone number.  Our office staff will be happy to direct your question to the most appropriate person.