In a time of great abundance of information, it is often difficult to find the true purpose of education. Is it to provide facts? Is it to make a student smarter? Do we want to educate the student’s soul, or to provide moral guidance?

Today many students are sent off in so many different directions. They go off to vocational school, specialized programs, or to attend a university. But there is often no focus on virtue, or on what it means to think and act with integrity.

At our leading classical charter school in Utah, we have a different mission in education. We believe that a true education must help students discover and cultivate their power to do good. In our unique virtue-based education in Utah, we use a classic liberal arts curriculum to prepare students for college and for a life of truth, honor, and virtue.

Here at our charter high school in Utah County, our students engage the classics through the Socratic Method and Great Books. Our students read and discuss primary source materials and wrestle with the big questions about morality, truth, justice, and the good life. They learn critical thinking, oral expression, humility and other skills that allow them to engage in the world intelligently and productively. We are helping students prepare for college—and for life.

In a small and unique student community where faculty know every student by name, we provide the best in personalized attention. Teachers are trained in the methods of our classical school and lead students through close reading, discussion, and essay writing on the classic texts.

Students are learning Latin and Greek at our school and also participate in our unique Winterim and other opportunities for experiential learning at our charter high school in Utah County. Students and faculty are learning together, and everyone is challenged at our school to become their best and to contribute to the betterment of our world.

Our students are highly successful in college, both academically and as leaders. They earn top marks and an average SAT score of 1330. Our graduates are the top students of their college class. As our top ranked high school, according to U.S. News & World Report, we graduate students at a 95%+ rate. At our charter high school in Utah County, our students are learning the best in the classics and the best in how they are preparing to serve others. This is what an amazing college prep school looks like in Utah County!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is classical education and why is it effective today? Classical education is an approach that is rooted in the liberal arts, or grammar, logic, and rhetoric and Great Books. It seeks to cultivate wisdom and virtue and instill a love of learning, beyond preparing students for specific careers. It is effective today because it teaches the skills of critical thinking, clear communication, and virtuous living that are useful in any time.
2. What is Socratic method? The Socratic method is a style of teaching that uses a questioning format to stimulate critical thinking and dialogue. Using the Socratic method at Maeser allows students to move from merely being informed about ideas to understanding them for themselves. They are challenged to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate ideas through discourse with their teachers and their peers. This leads to more profound understanding and independence, and gives students practice expressing themselves and defending their positions.
3. Is Maeser Preparatory Academy private? Maeser Preparatory Academy is a tuition-free public charter high school for students in grades 7-12. As a charter school, we function outside the standard public school system so we can use our unique classical liberal arts curriculum and our focus on virtue in our approach to education.
4. What kind of character development can I expect? Education at Maeser is focused on the development of Truth, Honor and Virtue. Students are taught explicitly and informally about character traits through character formation classes, the honor code, discussion of the lives of the good and wise, and role models. In this community, students learn what it means to be virtuous, to be responsible, to have courage and to treat others with integrity, kindness, and compassion. Education is not just a tool to prepare students for success in the world; our goal is to cultivate a sense of responsibility, to serve others, and to develop the character necessary for both academic and personal success.
5. What kind of academic success does Maeser produce? Our students are excellent scholars. In the U.S. News & World Report ranking, we were ranked #1 in the state of Utah. Our graduating students have a combined average SAT score of 1330, and 95%+ of students go on to higher education after graduation. Students are admitted to many colleges and universities at home and abroad and receive a significant amount of scholarship assistance. They are well-prepared for the challenge of college as well as the responsibility of ethical leadership.

Learn more about enrolling in our school and becoming part of the educational philosophy that encourages students to pursue excellence while growing in character and virtue.