RIGBY — Nearly 100 community members, including Alturas Academy school officials, teachers, and parents, gathered in Jefferson County on Tuesday to break ground on the charter network’s third location in eastern Idaho.
According to IdahoEdNews.org, Alturas Academy North received approval from the Idaho Public Charter School Commission for its petition to establish a new charter school in August 2024. The charter is set to open at 522 Marsh Way in Rigby in the fall of 2026.
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The new school will serve up to 600 students and will host K-8. Executive Director Michelle Ball said when the school opens, it will be K-6, and seventh and eighth grades will be added the following year. Those looking to follow through to high school will attend Alturas Preparatory Academy in Idaho Falls.
Ball said during the groundbreaking that she had a dream over 10 years ago to change education and to make a difference in the lives of her students.
“We’re about students. We are about giving everything we can and empowering them to know who they are,” Ball said.
Ball told EastIdahoNews.com that the reason for a new campus in Rigby was Jefferson County’s recent population growth.
She said that what that means for Alturas is that some parents sign up to have their children on the waitlist who are outside of the Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, and Shelley school districts, which means they are at the bottom of the admittance list.
“We knew these families could not get in. I mean, the odds of that were really low,” Ball said. “We just felt like a charter school would be a really good option, and we feel like parents should have the option of education.”
Chief Operating Officer Brian Bingham said Alturas has always been about preparing students for the future and that this new school will extend that promise to families in Jefferson County.
“Together, we are building something that will truly be a blessing in the lives of children throughout Jefferson County,” Bingham said.
With the school slated to open next year, Shannon and Max Dymock said their daughter has already signed up to attend Alturas Academy North.
They chose Alturas due to discussions with coworkers who have children in the other Alturas schools, as well as speaking with teachers.
“They’re really well-rounded children, they were able to take a different viewpoint of learning… it was just an interesting kind of take on education, just because I feel like it’s easier to apply it to kind of everyday life,” Shannon said.
Shannon said this charter school helps create more competition and raises the standard within the community.
“We’re just excited for kind of a new take,” Shannon said.
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