Many people in public education view public schools and home school as separate things – two different means of educating children that rarely intersect. But at Canyon Grove Academy (CGA) – a public K-8 charter school in Utah County – the two work and fit together for the benefit of students. 

For some students, an education that happens entirely at a public school or entirely at home will be the best fit – and CGA offers those options. However, for students who can benefit both from learning in a classroom and instruction at home, CGA presents a hybrid model that blends elements of education in a public school with home-school instruction.  

The story of Tenille’s family illustrates how this model can be successful. 

Making a home-school environment fit around the family schedule 

Tenille works part time from home and her husband has a rotating schedule, often with 12-hour workdays. But together they have created a hybrid at-home education model that works for their daughter and son, who are in sixth and third grade, respectively. 

Through CGA, they instruct their children at home for most subjects with curriculum provided by CGA. But their enrollment at CGA also provides some unique in-person opportunities. 

Finding a balance between at-home learning and public resources 

Tenille provided her kids with a preschool at home because everything else was too expensive. When the time came for kindergarten, she started to investigate her options. She looked into dual immersion schools and other hybrid or online options. Then she found Canyon Grove and liked how it offered different options for students to access its curriculum.  

For instance, CGA offers a program called Adventures-at-School, which brings students onto the school campus five days a week for learning, much like a traditional school schedule. Still, many of the offerings are unique. The school boasts features like a space center/simulator room where students work as teams to solve problems, a SmartLab that provides hands-on STEM learning opportunities, and a farm and garden where students care for the plants and animals.  

Through another program called Adventures-at-Home, CGA empowers parents to select from a variety of curricular options to be taught in a home-school-like setting, while simultaneously offering additional resources that can be checked out from school. Resources include things like at-home kits for a variety of subjects (like dissection kits), literature guides, telescopes and educational games.  

Parents using either model can take advantage of offerings like Spark activities, which are field trips; Innovations and Discovery, where students learn through experiential activities, including both the SmartLab and outdoor activities; and Epic classes, which are multi-grade, project-based interactive learning opportunities that are often themed around a period in history (this year students are learning about the Middle Ages and the Renaissance).  

Tenille’s children use the Adventures-at-Home and in-person learning experiences like Epic and Innovations and Discovery. She appreciates the flexibility to choose what she teaches in her at-home environment. The curriculum her kids receive is made up both of free materials provided by the school and additional, personalized work she has chosen, depending on what makes sense for them. 

Having access to Epic and Innovations and Discovery is another important blend of opportunities. It allows her to educate at home most of the time, while also giving her kids a break from being taught by their mom. These unique offerings at CGA mean her children get to ride a bus and sit in a classroom once a week with formal lessons, but they also get to do fun outdoor activities that include educational instruction – such as paddleboarding, fishing and rock climbing. 

Choosing the physical location and resources 

For Tenille, Canyon Grove’s main campus in Pleasant Grove is too far away, even for weekly drives to the in-person Epic experiences. Luckily, to meet the needs of parents in different areas, the Epic offerings are provided in various locations including Draper, South Jordan, Tooele and Springville. This allows Tenille – and similarly situated parents in these areas – to take advantage of Epic at a location near her family. 

The school offers plenty of other resources as well. Any resources that are consumable, like workbooks, parents can get from the school and keep. Other resources are checked out from the school resource library and need to be returned. For example, every child enrolled at CGA has the option of checking out a Chromebook for coursework, so technology is accessible to all. The school also pays for subscriptions to educational programs like Zearn for math or Lexia for language arts/reading.  

Because CGA is a public charter school, students take state tests (with an opt-out option, like all public schools). This means parents who want their students to test, can. Those who do not, don’t have to participate.  

Addressing parents’ hesitation with taking on education 

In talking with other parents about home education, Tenille says she commonly hears from parents who are afraid of “messing up their kids” – who feel they are not knowledgeable enough to teach every subject.  

In response, Tenille says CGA is a great option because nobody needs to reinvent the wheel. Parents can choose the fully in-person option; school at home with the school’s curriculum; or the hybrid at-school/in-home program. She tells parents that even if you try something and it doesn’t work, you can adjust or try something different. 

For Utah families who want to have a greater degree of influence in their child’s education – even up to schooling at home full time – but who don’t know where to start, Canyon Grove Academy might be an excellent choice. 

Helpful resources related to this article: 

Canyon Grove Academy 

Q&A with Canyon Grove Academy Leadership 

Zearn 

Lexia