Kimberly to open new charter school, giving more options to families in the area

KIMBERLY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Ever since Kimberly School District built Stricker Elementary in 2018, they have had two empty school buildings and the question of what to do with them.

“A committee came together and decided they wanted to come up with a different educational model for students here in our community,” said Heidi Child, who will be the principal of the new school.

The committee decided to create the Rise Charter School, classes will begin in August for grades fourth through eighth and will cap each class at 25 students.

“They wanted to build a charter school because it has benefits that allow you to have a little more freedom in the curriculum, the class size,” Child said.

The project is being funded through state funds and a grant worth $244,000 from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.

The school will follow the Summit Learning curriculum, giving students project-based learning opportunities.

“Some other important pieces of it are the importance of teaching habits of success, things like organization and balancing your life and managing stress,” Child said.

The charter school will still fall under the umbrella of the Kimberly School District, meaning that they will follow along with the same school schedule as the rest of the district.

“So we have the buildings, we already have transportation infrastructure, food service, the kids can still attend the same sports groups, any after school activities, and that is something that many charter schools don’t have the luxury of doing,” Child said.

Enrollment is open now and will close on March 22.

So far 51 families have shown interest in having their kids attend the school, and it is free to attend, but preference will be given to families that live in the Kimberly School District.

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