Six new schools are opening in Idaho this upcoming year.

Four have physical locations; Vallivue School District is opening two elementary schools and Hollister and Lava Hot Springs are reviving historic buildings — once threatened with closure — into charter schools.

West Bonner and Avery are rolling out online schools using a third-party service meant to aid homeschooling families. 

Here are profiles of the new schools:

Hollister Charter School

HOLLISTER– Hollister Charter School is partnering with the Filer School District to open a charter in the fall that will serve grades K-6. Rather than being authorized through the Idaho Public Charter School Commission (IPCSC), Hollister is authorized through the Filer District.

Charterdom offered Hollister new avenues to glean funding: It received $800,000 in federal grants through Bluum, an Idaho nonprofit which awards grant money to charter schools.

Hollister aims to be a community-based school fostering civically minded students. Hollister’s first day of school is Sept. 8, according to its website.

Lava Hot Springs Academy

LAVA HOT SPRINGS – Like Hollister, Lava Hot Springs was at risk of being shuttered before it started on the charter path. Kolleen DeGraff, the school’s director, moved to Lava Hot Springs to enjoy retirement, but was tasked with converting Lava Elementary into a charter school. 

The school will serve grades K-6 with a discovery-based education model, incorporating project-based, experiential and expeditionary learning, as Carly Flandro originally reported. The school opens Aug. 12.

DeGraff formerly owned a religious private school in Utah, and plans to use her experience to lead Lava Hot Springs Academy for at least three years before returning to retirement.

Falcon Ridge and Warhawk elementary schools

CANYON COUNTY– The Nampa/Caldwell area is growing rapidly: Caldwell is Idaho’s fastest growing, and the nation’s 51st fastest growing city. The influx is straining schools in the Vallivue School District, a district encompassing the suburbs of both cities it serves.

Falcon Ridge and Warhawk will alleviate overcrowding from nearby elementary schools until they reach their 800-student capacities, which assistant superintendent Joseph Palmer said could happen as soon as 2030. Falcon Ridge is located in a suburb of Caldwell, right behind Vallivue Middle School.

Warhawk is located in Nampa, near Ridgevue High School. Warhawk and Falcon Ridge are built to the same specifications and design, with some exceptions: Falcon Ridge is built to accommodate students who require behavioral accommodations. 

The two schools will open for students Aug. 13.

ACC Virtual School and West Bonner HLN

More than 19,800, or 6%, of Idaho’s 314,596 students were enrolled in online schools last year, as Emma Epperly reported.

This fall, the Avery, Calder, Clarkia Virtual School and West Bonner Home Learning Network will offer students online education through partnerships with Overture, a home-learning company based in Idaho. Both online programs are for grades K-8.

Overture allows homeschooling families to choose the curriculum and resources they want to use and reimburses them for the costs they incur. 

Further ahead

Some districts and charters are looking to open schools in 2026. The plans include:

• Gem Prep Idaho Falls
• Valor Classical Academy, Kuna
• A new elementary school in Star (West Ada District)
• A new school for P-8 in Salmon (Salmon District)
• North Idaho Classical Academy in Bonners Ferry
• Alturas Academy North in Rigby

Editor’s note: Idaho Education News and Bluum both receive funding from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.