A new public charter school with a classical curriculum is being constructed on Prairie Avenue in Post Falls.

Kootenai Classical Academy is set to open for its inaugural school year this fall.

"We’re just ecstatic,” Headmaster Ed Kaitz said.

The 30,000-square-foot, single-story academy on 11 acres with access to the North Idaho Centennial Trail is going up at 4318 N. Fennecus Road — on the north side Prairie, east of Highway 41 and just west of Meyer Road. Construction crews broke ground in November and are sailing along. Michigan-based Bouma USA is the main builder.

“It’s just a remarkable experience to be around so many people that are so positive and confident and putting this together for us in such short time notice,” Kaitz said. "It’s all good.”

The school will first welcome kindergarten through eighth grade students and will expand a grade each year until it is a full K-12 academy.

Kootenai Classical has partnered with Hillsdale College’s Barney Charter School Initiative to offer a tuition-free classical school with goals of creating well-rounded students who have an understanding of fundamental human thought, including arts, math, science, history and language. The Hillsdale family of public charter schools includes 52 schools in 23 states.

"We’re part of a network that goes and takes the best of the classical tradition, which involves not only the intellectual component, but the moral component," Kaitz said. "We’re heavy on the moral tradition that came out of the classics, in terms of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Part of what we're trying to do in education is to help the students understand there's a deep moral tradition that we have in our background that comes through the philosophy, the stories and the history."

"We’re using the curriculum and education as a way to have the students fall in love with the learning for its own sake, instead of the end goal of just taking an exam,” he said. "That’s really what sets us apart.”

"It's for every kind of student," founding board member Michael Burgess said, adding that the school will also have offerings for students with special needs.

Kaitz said Kootenai Classical Academy will be modeled after the Treasure Valley Classical Academy in Fruitland, Idaho, which started in 2019.

“We’ll be the first one in North Idaho,” he said. “We’re super happy for the community to be a part of this."

Bringing this new school to North Idaho has been a longtime dream of Ed and wife Rachel Kaitz, along with dedicated board members, Ed Kaitz said.

“Everybody’s kind of on board with what Hillsdale College has been since 2012. It’s been on our radar," he said. "All of us came together at the same time. We all knew about the project, but there was some kind of magnetic power that drew us together as a board. We just had this great vision, you know. We wanted to be part of it here.”

After about two years of searching for sites, the parcel on which the school is being built "sort of dropped into our lap," Kaitz said.

"A lot of them didn't quite work for us because, with a lot of charter schools, you're on a tight budget, so you have to be careful with what you’re spending your money on,” he said. "Part of what we wanted to do was offer a great sports program, and that involves acreage. We turned down a lot of properties that were very small, 3- to 4-acre properties, but we wanted to have that athletic experience that a normal K-12 school has."

In the first year, Kootenai Classical will have 428 students. Students in Kootenai County will have priority. However, those outside the county will have opportunities to enroll if those seats aren't filled. A lottery will be held if the interest exceeds the number of seats. By 2027, the school will be able to accommodate 702 students.

“The response we’ve received from the community for our school has been overwhelmingly positive," Kootenai Classical Academy board chair Marcel LeBlanc said in a news release. "We are looking forward to offering a comprehensive school experience that is unique in our area."

Applications for students and teachers are now being accepted.

Info: kootenaiclassical.org