Here's what you need to know about the new school planned for north Peoria
Fills need in region with overcrowded schools
Courtesy of American Leadership Academy
A new school is planned for the commercial core of master-planned Vistanica in the northern part of Peoria. Pictured here is a class at an American Leadership Academy school.
As schools in the northern part of Peoria continue to bloat with over enrollment, a new K-12 charter school is in the works for the commercial core of the master-planned Vistancia community.
The city is working through the pre-application site plan process with American Leadership Academy to build a charter school and amenities within the southern part of the 320-acre subdivision known as Five North.
California-based IHP Capital Partners and Minneapolis-based Varde Partners are developing this part of Vistancia.
American Leadership Academy is negotiating a land purchase agreement and joint-use agreement with the city to build the school on 40 acres. The sale has not yet been completed.
ALA and its affiliates are completing this project, however, they said a cost is not yet available.
Officials said the goal is to open the campus by fall 2025.
American Leadership Academy has about 30 schools in Arizona, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Marketing Director Melody Hudson said that last year ALA expanded its schools into the West Valley with ALA West Foothills, and had a good response.
“We were met with great demand and a wonderful welcome,” she said. “Since then, we’ve been asked to build another West Valley school in Peoria. The surrounding schools in the area are crowded, and homes continue to be developed there. We want to meet that demand by providing more school choice that offers a high-quality curriculum in a moral and wholesome environment.”
Full service charter school
The school in north Peoria is expected to serve 2,400 students,with specific classroom facilities for K-6 students, and separate facilities for grades 7-12.
A full-service charter school campus is proposed, meaning the school will offer a full educational curriculum and extracurricular activities including performing arts and athletics programs. Officials said the campus is planned to include lighted sports fields, as part of a joint-use neighborhood park increasing community amenities in the area.
Mayor Jason Beck said the city and the Vistancia developer always envisioned Vistancia as a potential location for a high school since development began more than 20 years ago.
“I am excited to see this process underway to bring a high school to the community,” Beck said in a news release. “These are important early steps to satisfy what our residents have been asking for, and how rewarding to know that generations of new students will have another educational opportunity in their hometown.”
Charter schools are required to submit an application for a new charter or an expansion of a charter with the Arizona State Charter School Board. That charter application is then reviewed by a local authorizer.
Hudson said ALA has submitted an application to expand its charter into the Peoria area, and that application has been approved.
Up next, a development agreement is expected to come before council for approval in 60-90 days.
Is a charter school enough?
Peoria Unified School District serves the Vistancia area and has struggled with addressing growth in the area.
The northern part of the city has been in need of a new high school for a number of years because of schools at enrollment capacity in the area. The root of this stems from the electorate’s distaste for bond authorizations.
Three bond attempts have failed since the last bond was approved by voters in 2012, and the district expended those funds more than a year ago.
This has had a significant impact on the district’s budget, with officials trying to find alternative sources for essential and priority school renovations, as well as comprehensive building and site maintenance.
Peoria Unified schools Liberty High School as well as Lake Pleasant and Sunset Heights elementary schools are overcapacity in the northern part of the city.
Enrollment at Liberty is 2,593, with maximum capacity set at 2,496. Enrollment at Lake Pleasant is 1,273, with maximum capacity set at 1,472. Enrollment at Sunset Heights is 1,021, with maximum capacity set at 1,120.
The new ALA school could relieve some of those overcrowded PUSD schools, but the district still will need a bond to fund a larger high school.
Vistancia General Manager Mark Hammons said if a bond passes to fund a PUSD high school, it could still be built in the master-planned community.
“We have always envisioned Five North at Vistancia would include a high school and have been actively pursuing options that would not preclude a future PUSD high school in the vicinity if a bond should pass,” said Hammons in a news release.
Earlier this year, Peoria Unified recommended to the school board a $250 million bond on the ballot for this year’s general election. However, in an about-face in July, the majority of the governing board voted against a bond for the election. The district will have another opportunity to place a bond on the ballot for an election next year.
In a statement sent to the Peoria Independent, Peoria Unified acknowledged there is a need to support continued growth in Vistancia and that the district has attempted to pass a bond since 2016.
“We will continue to prepare all Peoria Unified students for a successful future as responsible citizens who actively contribute to society, the community and the workforce,” according to the statement.
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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