'No politics' school that faced battle to open in blue state boasts high test scores

Colorado parents and teachers who fought to create the first charter school in their district are celebrating after their students outperformed other local schools on state tests.

"To me, it was a validation that classical education produces great test results without teaching to the test," Marc Vieux, father of three Merit Academy students, told Fox News Digital. "Teach them to love learning and the tests will take care of themselves."

Merit Academy opened in 2021, spearheaded by parents frustrated with pandemic closures and what they saw as increasing politicization of public schools.

It's billed as a "no politics" school focusing on classical education, and faced fierce opposition from the local teachers union and some community members when it first started in Woodland Park, a town of about 7,800 people in Teller County. 

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"When school choice came, it rocked the boat a little bit," said Vieux, whose children have been homeschooled, attended private school and are now in their second year of attending Merit.

Woodland Park's school board initially denied Merit Academy's charter application, local media reported, citing budget concerns, lack of facility plans beyond the first year of operation, staff recruitment challenges and doubts that Merit would "effectively serve academically low achieving students."

But then four conservative candidates won seats on the nonpartisan board. In a January 2022 special meeting, they cleared the way for Merit to become the district's first charter school.

The district's teachers union called the move "underhanded, and at worst illegal" because the agenda made no mention of Merit Academy, NBC News reported. A judge ordered the board to list future agenda items "honestly and forthrightly," but did not rule on whether the board's actions had been legal, the outlet reported.

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Meanwhile, the school has grown from around 100 students who started out learning in the basements of local churches, then in a remodeled hardware store. As more enrolled, Merit moved into one half of a Woodland Park middle school, sharing the building with public school students.

Vieux remembers dropping his kids off and watching the sea of students part. One group, dressed in red, white and blue uniforms, headed for the Merit side of the building, where phone use is banned and students spend more time reading books than using computers.

The other students, in a kaleidoscope of jeans, flip-flops, sweatpants and tank tops, turned toward the public side. Vieux saw the two diverging groups as a perfect illustration of the value of school choice, which ties tax dollars to individual students rather than specific schools.

"As a family, my wife and I have literally chosen the path that we think fits our children best," he said. "One size fits all just doesn't really work."

This year, Merit Academy welcomed nearly 500 students in grades K-11, Priest said, filling out the rest of the former public school building. Next year, they'll expand again to have their first graduating 12th grade class.

New 2024 Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) scores shared by Merit Academy show the charter school ranking in the top 21% statewide, outperforming Woodland Park and other regional school districts.

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At Merit, 64.1% of students met or exceeded the CMAS in English and language arts, compared to an average of 44.1% statewide. And 43.6% of Merit students met or exceeded the standards in math, compared to just 34.2% statewide.

"Test scores are not everything. However, when we look at them, it does demonstrate the growth that we're striving for," Priest said.

Merit Academy's curriculum emphasizes a focus on science, math, history, literature and the arts, along with patriotism and five core values: valor, goodness, perseverance, responsibility and friendship.

There are AP classes and college credit opportunities for university-bound students, trade certificates for those hoping to graduate career-ready, and a Civil Air Patrol squadron that is an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force for those interested in the military or aviation sciences.

What Merit doesn't offer is political indoctrination, according to supporters.

"As educators, we are here to teach the curriculum," Priest said when asked about the school's "no politics" position. "I'm a math teacher. I teach math."

School choice has seen a swell of support lately, especially on the heels of the coronavirus pandemic when many public schools closed to in-person instruction.

The advocacy group EdChoice reported this spring that 11 states now have universal or near-universal school choice.

Colorado voters will decide whether to protect families' right to school choice in the state constitution in November. Members of the state board of education have opposed the conservative-backed initiative, arguing it would be used to usher in a voucher program for private schools.

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And while some pundits paint "no politics" as a conservative dog whistle, Vieux said he doesn't see it that way.

"I think that liberals, conservatives both want the same good things for their children," he said. "The political process is for adults, and perhaps one of the benefits of good schooling is that you learn to develop a set of values and a set of critical thinking skills that let you engage in the political process when you're ready."

Priest, who spent six years teaching at traditional public schools before joining Merit Academy, credited the students and parents for much of the charter's success.

"Our parents have choiced in for their students," she said. "They are choosing this classical education. And so they are very supportive of what happens here at school and of their children's education."