A virtual charter school promising career-technical education is set to open this fall despite lingering questions about learning delivery, certification opportunities and how students will gain workforce skills.

Leaders of Trailhead Virtual Academy shared few specifics with EdNews earlier this month regarding how much live instruction would be required of the school’s students, the level of parent involvement, what certifications students could obtain, or how CTE would work virtually.

That lack of specifics prompted the Idaho Public Charter School Commission to deny Trailhead’s application last year.

Commissioners approved the school in December after an administrative appeal and years of questions over both the founding board’s plan and the private company, ACCEL Schools, which is contracted to provide many of Trailhead’s services.

Details about the school remain unclear

School leaders have provided some details about their plan, but questions that prompted concerns during the approval process remain unanswered.

Board Chair Sonja Howerton, who has worked on the business side of charter schools for years, and Karen McGee, vice chair and former president of the Idaho State Board of Education, hope the school will provide flexibility for Idaho families.

But many details of how exactly it will operate have yet to be ironed out, Howerton told EdNews in a recent interview.

The school is set to open statewide this fall for grades K-8 with a target enrollment of 500 students and a plan to add ninth and tenth graders the second year. Leaders hope to expand through 12th grade and 1,000 students by year three.

Career technical pathways will start in elementary school, with students learning about different jobs. They’ll progress in middle and high school to job shadowing and then to certifications. Which certifications is yet to be decided, Howerton said.

Career pathways will initially have a strong focus on technology, like IT or medical career readiness, she said. ACCEL already has virtual content on career readiness. Certifications could include Microsoft systems, Howerton gave as an example.

The board chose the company, in part, because trustees knew ACCEL Vice President of Business Development Cody Claver and discussed their concept with him. Claver, through company spokesperson Courtney Harritt, declined an interview with EdNews. Harritt did not make anyone else available for an interview.

When asked how ACCEL’s curriculum provides CTE supports, Harritt said via email that the curriculum “is designed to mirror real-world applications and workforce needs through interactive instruction, project-based learning, and industry-aligned digital tools.”

The company operates CTE programs at 14 virtual schools, Harritt said.

“Students participate in credential preparation, virtual and career-connected work-based learning experiences, and pathway planning,” she wrote.

When asked for specifics, Howerton said students would job shadow professionals virtually via teleconference and graduate prepared for virtual work.

“We hope to expand that as the school grows,” she said.

The board hasn’t hired a school administrator or determined how much of the curriculum will be delivered live to students versus asynchronously. The board plans to rely on ACCEL’s experience to help iron out the plan in the coming months, Howerton said.

Both Howerton and McGee said they expect the school to open in the fall.

Commissioners voiced prior concerns

Trailhead leaders applied for a charter in 2024 to provide a CTE option for kids across Idaho. Commissioners wanted more information, so school leaders returned last April with details on enrollment and budget estimates.

Then-commissioner Pete Koehler asked what a career-technical curriculum looks like for a six-year-old.  Howerton said that’s still being discussed with ACCEL, but it looks like conversations about careers.

“I have some experience with young children and talking to them is not part of a curriculum,” Koehler responded.

Koehler also questioned the effectiveness of virtual career technical training.

“How do you teach a child to weld virtually? How do you teach dental hygiene virtually?” he said. “I need to understand this because I’m a very strong proponent of CTE, but I also have a deep cynical suspicion that CTE has simply become a catchword.”

Howerton said at the time she didn’t have all the resources, and they were still figuring out specifics with ACCEL.

Commissioners raised concerns that ACCEL, a private company, would totally operate the school. Howerton said the board would hold ACCEL accountable for operations, while also overseeing staff and the contract with ACCEL.

Commissioners unanimously denied the application in April, partially on the grounds that Trailhead’s approach wasn’t innovative and raised concerns over finances.

Denial appealed

Trailhead’s leaders appealed the decision to Idaho’s Office of Administrative Hearings, a first for the commission.

At the August 2025 hearing, the administrative law judge planned to decide whether or not to approve the school, rather than consider whether the grounds for denial were legal, Trailhead’s attorney, Chris Yorgason later explained to the commission.

“We as a group weren’t real comfortable with that,” Yorgason said. “I think the attorneys representing the commission weren’t real comfortable with that.”

Both sides agreed to remand the issue back to the commission, which reconsidered Trailhead’s application in December.

Yorgason argued that Trailhead met the legal requirements for approval, which do not include a metric for innovation, and that the commission had to approve the school if it met those legal requirements.

Commissioner Wally Hedrick cast the only no vote to approve the school. Koehler had since left the commission for a seat on the State Board of Education.