Venture Academy

495 N 1500 W

School District

Venture Academy
Grade

K-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

charter

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by student on December 12, 2023

I am very pleased with this school, put simply. From 3rd grade to High School I have been in a different school every year due to family reasons. This school is better than all of my previous schooling experiences, and my parents agree. Learning: On the question of whether or not the students feel excited about schooling, I put a 4. The reason for this is that some kids simply do not care for learning. Please do not mistake this for criticism of the faculty or staff, they do a phenomenal job of helping the students stay motivated and engaged, you just can't change some students. I am motivated in all of my classes, and certainly due to the teachers.Special Education: Although I do not have a lot of information on this since I am not in a special education class, I do know that they at least have classes to help SPED students, as well as many Teacher Aids in each class (The majority of my classes have at least one if not two teacher aids that are typically specialized in students with learning disabilities.) Teaching: Phenomenal! Certainly the most efficient and just generally good teaching I have ever had! All teachers and teacher aids are certainly respectful, which motivates us to learn. A couple of weeks back, we had a strict and heavily condescending teacher aid. He either was fired or "quit" a couple of weeks later. I appreciated this because this shows that the faculty responds to complaints, investigates, and acts. Again, wonderful learning as well as outstanding respect, cooperation, and equality.Safety: This school certainly has very good safety precautions in place. Violence is strictly forbidden and generally ends in suspension. Discrimination is certainly not tolerated in this school, they even have individual bathrooms so transgender people don't have to be bullied by kids going into the "wrong" restroom. The only reason I put this at a 4 is because I feel that the dress code is stricter against girls. I certainly see this even as a man. Otherwise good safety.Social-emotional support: Every week they have you fill out a mental health and well-being report in our crews. Additionally, we have a hope squad that is proactive in what they see. They also have sufficient suicide awareness and information.Family Engagement: Once a semester, they have every student lead a student-led conference where the student explains all of their grades in front of the parent/guardian and teacher. Other than grade updates though, that's it.Thank you:)
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2020

Our family has been very pleased with Venture's educational opportunities, the quality of the staff, and their emphasis on EL education. My son isn't just learning facts; he's learning how they apply to life and how to think. Don't be scared off by scores--Venture has a unique way of combining kids from different grades that means that state tests don't always coincide with what the students focussed on that year--over a 2-3 year period (depending on the grade), they learn everything in the state core. I'm beyond impressed with how much my son learns every year.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2020

Overall it has been good. There are always things to fix, like grading and homework, but this school has a lot of good qualities
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2019

Not very good. Most teachers are great, but not a very good student experience. They don’t handle their problem students.
Submitted by parent on February 17, 2018

Terrible. I would not recommend this school to anyone.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2017

My child was bullied and we were never told until another student was bullied by the same child and even then we tried to protect and safeguard our child and they told us it wasn't their problem. Not only that but we have asked for meeting and such with administrators who have never responded. The children are NOT their priority nor are parents. It's a political game and unless you are in a very select social circle, you are made to feel as though your child, your time, or your concerns are not valid or important.
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2017

I enrolled my children (K, 2, 6, and 9th grades) mid-year at Venture Academy. The teachers and students are amazing. They instantly befriended my children, helped the transition go smoothly, and included them in everything. The whole atmosphere and culture at Venture is different than any other school we have been to in the past. They are "Crew" meaning they are like family and it is an inclusive wonderful attitude felt in all the activities. The hands-on approach, fun field days, and amazing social activities are also a big bonus. I cannot praise the school enough. They are worth the extra drive and effort to be enrolled with them.
Submitted by other on December 02, 2016

Admin and faculty is afraid of any sort of confrontation to a fault. Is not forthcoming about issues needing to be attended to whatsoever. It seems the whole school is afraid of offending anyone to the point of seeming very nice but ending up extremely passive aggressive. This leads to a very superficial environment. There is no depth to this school.
Submitted by parent on July 23, 2015

I love Venture! When I signed my children up for Venture I was told everything that would be expected of us (parents). Such as the volunteer hours that each family needs to do as well as the parents driving for fieldwork. Not only do I love the smaller class sizes, but I feel as if the students get the attention that they need to be able to learn and ask questions. I love that my children not only learn but are able to go out and experience the things that they have learned. For example my daughter learned about Moab, UT. Then the students were able to go and experience what they had learned. Such as river rafting, rock climbing, hiking, swimming and at the end of each day they would talk about the activities they had done and what everyone like the most. These are wonderful experiences that a lot children will never be able to experience. As far as volunteering I think it's wonderful to have as many parents getting involved in the learning of our children even if it's volunteering in the library to going on fieldwork and experiencing the thing they learn. I also like how they have gone and help clean up an area of the Ogden river and Fort Buenaventura. So if your parent that wants to be involved in your child(ren) learning this is an amazing school that we as parents get to be apart of!
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2015

My children have attended several schools because we are a military family. This is the worst school they have ever attended. After 6 months at this school, I removed my children and transferred them to another school. There are some good teachers, but the administrative staff are disorganized and not helpful. This school requires a lot of parental involvement and volunteer work just to function. They cannot hold field trips without parents driving. They cannot staff the lunchroom or library, without parents volunteering. When you volunteer it is often chaotic and not well organized.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2013

I had not heard of a "School of expeditionary Learning", until last year. I wish I knew about this type of learning when my Daughter was in First Grade. She is now in the Ninth Grade, and after one year in this style of learning, she has gone from just average test scores to perfect test scores. She loves to go to school. There are less that 25 Students per class. It's more about hands on learning, than just read, take notes, write reports, take a test. I could go on & on at how great this School is, but go look for yourself and you decide. I bet you put your Child on the waiting list to get in.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2013

We were fortunate to get our child into this school after concluding that the local schools were not an option for the needs at hand. Through Early Intervention through the school district, they did a fantastic job of teaching both us and our child skills that has improved all of us. However, were told at age 4 that our child would never be fully integrated into regular classes, that there would always be the need for "Special Ed." I feel that if we had stayed with the standard public education, that's exactly where he would be today. Years later our child has no special needs and is near top of the class in both reading and math. I contribute this success to the Expeditionary Learning style as well as caring teachers and staff who are led by one of the greatest directors. Proof is while many charter schools are begging for enrollment, Venture has parents waiting for years to enroll their children.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2013

I love Venture. I have loved the teachers very much and I love the Expeditionary Learning style. The parent involvement is amazing and I feel the overall leadership of the school is great too. I love that as a parent I can be very involved with my children and their education. They expect parent volunteers and welcome and value their opinions, not something that I had a good experience with at my last school. The teachers are great to work with and they communicate very well. The Math is a very rigorous program and I love that they push the students who need to be pushed and they are very understanding with ones who need more time. They also really allow the kids to own their education, they really truly teach the kids how to learn and not what to learn. I have all good things to say about Venture. Obviously there will be flawed teachers here and there, and there will be disgruntled parents, you will find that anywhere.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2013

My child attends Venture. I feel the teachers truly care for his success and use great curriculum to teach with. The office staff are knowledgable, friendly and very helpful. I have often seen other charter schools from the area meeting with staff to learn how to better run their schools. The director lives by a philosophy that every student should be heard and will take time to listen to anybody who has a concern. He leads by example and that example is seen from top to bottom. I am one to find fault and so far I haven't found any with staff, though I can't say the same for some parents and their undisciplined kids who never do anything wrong. I guess that goes with any school. I assume the few with negative responses are the same who were constantly seen in the office complaining that it's never their kid at fault or issues that should be a parents responsibility, not staff. Staff should be allowed to speak out in defense when being confronted with ridiculous complaints and parents shouldn't be appalled when their complaint is called out for what it is. The staff spend all day dealing with immaturity, it shouldn't include parents who have yet to grow up themselves.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2013

I love this school. The kids are so kind, and so smart. There is art on all of the walls, and an amazing crew of parent volunteers who help make the school excellent. The teachers and staff are all kind, and dedicated to the safety and education of the students, and the kids learn so much. I love the focus of the expeditions, and my son's teacher has been fabulous. It's a great, safe, beautiful school, that requires perhaps too much parent involvement, and has excellent communication. If you can, send your child to this school. Also, if you can, move close to the school, because driving back and forth a few times a day really hurts the gas tank.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2012

The school itself is beautiful. The curriculum is interesting. While I love the hands on part and the application of what children are learning in the real world, this causes a lack in scope. The worst part about the school is some of the teachers and then there is some of the office staff that really need to go. Very horrible leadership in place.
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2012

This is a relatively new charter school that utilizes expeditionary learning. They expect a high amount of parental involvement, but it is worth it. We have been at the school since it opened. I currently have three children enrolled. It's true that there isn't a lot of homework for elementary age children (all mine are fifth grade and younger), though they do have daily math and reading assignments. My children are highly engaged and excited about what they are learning. Initially, expeditionary learning can be difficult to implement, but I feel the school is now doing an excellent job of designing and executing the curriculum. This has been especially good for my oldest, who has ADD and some behavioral issues. The school has worked with me to find the right fit for him and he is now excelling, both academically and socially. We are moving out of state and I am most upset at having to leave this school.
Submitted by parent on July 20, 2011

Went to this school after I got tired of fighting with public schools over my slower learning son. We have had great success and he is now at grade level. Staff is excellent and principal attended every IEP (never got that before). Not alot of homework but excellent communication from teachers!! My kids love this school and we have at great teachers!! All around great school!!