Altus Academy, now entering its 10th year as a tuition-free private elementary school providing a rigorous education for underrepresented families, started the school year strong with changes to its classroom make-up, a new school library, and additional programs and resources for students and parents.

The school year kicked off, as in previous years, with orientation week, which included two days of faculty meetings, and two days of student orientation, and concluded with a back-to-school parent night.

Altus Academy inaugurated its new school library over the summer, which includes a wide range of titles for students in grades k-8.

Alfredo Villegas, principal of Altus Academy, addresses parents during back-to-school parent night.

Students reviewed behavior expectations, school procedures, and their daily schedules. During parent orientation, Mr. Villegas, principal of Altus, went over school policies, and the school curriculum guide, and provided more information on the long list of student and family services that are being offered at the school.

Mr. Villegas also announced exciting new programs that are being offered to students this year such as the middle school special class, Introduction to Coding.

Last spring, Altus received a $250,000 grant from the Center for Education Reform to enroll additional students in grades 1-8. The money was used to hire additional teachers, which allows classroom instructors to focus on individual grade levels, rather than the previous multi-age classroom model. This new classroom make-up also opens spots for additional students and allows teachers to provide more individualized instruction.

John Heybach, president and founder of Altus Academy, believes that with the current staff the school can enroll an additional 45 students while remaining faithful to the mission and vision of the academy.