(PatriotPostNews.com) – A new charter school in Utah that is completely based in virtual reality is going to be available for students next academic year.
The Virtual Horizons Charter School is set to open in fall 2025 with the goal of “empower[ing] minds by expanding realities,” according to Kristin Child Elinkowski, the chair of the school’s board. Key values that the public charter school will promote include creativity, community building and critical thinking.
The new school will be entirely digital and open to all students in Utah, providing laptops, headsets, hotspots and Wi-Fi as necessary. Virtual Horizons Charter School is expecting to enroll up to 350 students from fourth through eighth grade during the inaugural 2025 academic year. Throughout the next five years, the school plans to increase enrollment to accommodate a maximum of 900 students from fourth through twelfth grade.
According to representatives from the school, students who are currently enrolled will continuously move up one grade level each year so that more students can enroll. Guest speakers, field trips and other in-person gatherings and events will also be incorporated into the educational effort, but most of the students’ education will be completed online, through a virtual reality system.
Elinkowski said that a motivation for this approach comes from the desire to “prepare” students to “become future-ready individuals” who are well-equipped to navigate the “challenges and opportunities” of the world.
The open enrollment period for the Virtual Horizons Charter School will open in a year, on January 2, 2025.
According to a proposal for the school—which was submitted on July 1, 2023—the new institution seeks to “redefine education” through the combination of “virtual reality and affordable housing,” breaking down what it describes as “traditional boundaries.”
The educational model to be used will include synchronous online classes, asynchronous homework, standardized testing and the incorporation of educational standards that must be met, according to the state of Utah.
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