New charter school set to break ground in Queen Creek

San Tan Charter School is breaking ground on a new $25 million Queen Creek campus.

The San Tan Charter School – Signal Butte campus will be located on 5.5 acres at the corner of East Germann and South Signal Butte roads in the Barney Farms area.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at noon, Monday, Oct. 27 at 18979 S. Signal Butte Road. The school is scheduled to open to students and faculty in July 2026, according to a press release.

San Tan Charter School has two other campuses in Gilbert.

“When we founded San Tan Charter School 20 years ago, we intended and planned to open our Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten in Queen Creek,” Kristofer Sippel, CEO and superintendent of schools at San Tan Charter School, stated in the release.

He added that due to “unforeseen issues” with the property, which is at a different location than the Signal Butte plot, he opted to open the first school in Gilbert instead.

The new campus will offer K-8 grade mainstream, Montessori and gifted programs, as well as a Montessori preschool. Principal Katie Cox, who is currently at the K-6 Recker campus in Gilbert, will continue in her role as principal at the new Queen Creek campus.

After selecting a location in Queen Creek for the new campus, Sippel and staff got to work securing funding.

“We are building a new, state-of-the-art school from the ground up,” he stated in the release. “The money for the project is coming from bonds and investors and grant funding that will support the purchasing of all educational items needed for students, including chairs, tables, curriculum, Montessori materials and staff training.”