WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — As the school year approaches, some Utah families are exploring a new kind of classroom — one that’s smaller, more flexible, and tailored to individual students’ needs.
Microschools are popping up across the state, including a new one in West Valley City opening just nearly a week before the first day of school. Elite Performance Prep Academy will welcome students and families for orientation on Sept. 3 at the Salt Lake Community College West Valley Center.
“There are multiple families, kids who struggle with the public school system who feel like they’re not being represented well,” said owner Jilliana AhLoe.
A microschool is an independent learning environment — typically with fewer than 150 students — that operates outside the traditional public school system. Alongside basic subjects, Elite Performance Prep Academy will offer leadership training, character building, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
The smaller setting means lessons can be adapted quickly.
“If you want to learn math, here’s one program we can try. If it doesn’t work for you, here’s another. We can switch midweek, whatever it takes, until we find a program that really speaks to the student,” AhLoe explained.
Earlier this year, Utah lawmakers officially recognized microschools as small businesses. This change gives them more flexibility in where they can operate and allows families to use state scholarship money to help pay for tuition.
Founder Tasha Su’a, a mother of eight, says she wants students to leave with the same work ethic she saw in her own parents when they built their business.
“I feel like our children will be much more prepared as they grow to follow their passions,” Su’a said.
For parents like Mycal Alo, who lives in Millcreek, enrolling his son, Legend, in a microschool was a big decision. At first, he hesitated.
“I didn’t want him to be viewed a certain way,” Alo said.
But after realizing public school and traditional homeschooling weren’t the right fit for his son, he decided to make the switch, he said.
“Some may excel, some don’t. There’s always going to be a place where they feel like they don’t fit in education. That’s one thing we didn’t want, for him to feel like education wasn’t for him,” Alo said.
He hopes the smaller, more customized learning environment will give Legend the chance to thrive.
“These are opportunities that weren’t around when I was younger that I feel like could’ve definitely benefited me,” he said. "There’s an opportunity for my child to excel.”
Families interested in enrolling can visit Elite Performance Prep Academy.
