American Leadership Academy Explained: Spanish Fork's K-12 Charter, the Four-Day Week and How to Enroll

American Leadership Academy, or ALA, is a free public charter school in Spanish Fork that serves kindergarten through 12th grade on one campus. Home of the Eagles, it offers a Spanish dual language immersion program starting in kindergarten, a high school that lists a four-day school week among its highlights, and a new Eagle Fieldhouse under construction. The state counted 1,639 students in October 2025, and its Class of 2025 graduated at 92.2%.

This guide covers how enrollment and the lottery work, kindergarten and dual immersion, the daily schedule, the high school, sports and the arts, the numbers, and questions to ask before you apply. Details are from ALA's website, read Nov. 13, 2026; enrollment and graduation figures are from the Utah State Board of Education. ALA in Spanish Fork is a separate school from the similarly named charter network in Arizona and North Carolina.

Quick facts

What ALA is

ALA describes its mission as partnering "with families to provide comprehensive educational experiences, character development through leadership and individualized student learning for college and career readiness." Its name spells out its emphasis:

• American: learning "the rights and responsibilities of citizenship," with "a love for liberty" and "appreciation for sacrifice."
• Leadership: making decisions with intention, taking accountability and serving without expecting recognition.
• Academy: proficiency in reading, writing and spelling, with courses in career and technical education, fine arts, athletics, concurrent enrollment and AP.

The school's values go by RISE UP: Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence, Unity and Patriotism. Its stated goals include reading, writing and spelling correctly; math through calculus; reading "the classical writings of a wide range of authors"; studying U.S. and world history and geography; the scientific method; the arts; health; and "strong moral character." Families who want a school with a patriotic, character-education focus are its core audience.

Like all Utah charters, ALA is publicly funded and free, but independently governed by its own board of trustees, which posts its meeting notices on Utah's public notice website. Recent board meetings were held at 6 p.m. on June 24, Sept. 16 and Oct. 21, 2026, with audio recordings and draft minutes posted afterward, so parents can follow decisions about the fieldhouse, the calendar and the budget.

How enrollment works

ALA admits students by lottery when there are more applicants than seats. From the school's enrollment page:

• Apply online through ALA's enrollment application, available in English and Spanish.
• After the lottery, remaining applicants go on a waitlist, and new applicants join it first come, first served.
• Students can be admitted at any point in the school year if a seat opens in their grade. Being on the waitlist doesn't guarantee a spot.

What to upload when you apply:

• Kindergarten and homeschool: no documents to apply; a birth certificate and immunization records are required once a seat is offered.
• Elementary: the latest report card plus behavior and attendance records. Birth certificate, immunizations and any IEP or 504 plan are required on acceptance.
• Secondary: a current transcript, a behavior report that includes any expulsions or suspensions, and an attendance report. Birth certificate, immunizations and any IEP or 504 plan are required on acceptance.

After a student registers, ALA requests the cumulative file from the previous school. Families who leave mid-year pick up withdrawal forms from the registrar in the junior high, return library books, clean out lockers and settle fees.

For how charter lotteries and preferences work in Utah generally, see our charter schools guide.

Kindergarten and dual immersion

Kindergarten applications open Jan. 5 for the following school year. Children must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, per Utah law. ALA says it offers:

• 100 full-day kindergarten positions, half of them in the Spanish dual immersion program,
• 50 half-day kindergarten positions, in morning (8:15 to 11:30) or afternoon (12:15 to 3:30) sessions.

Dual Language Immersion (DLI). ALA's DLI program teaches in English and Spanish. Students have two teachers: an English teacher who covers English language arts and reinforces other subjects for half the day, and a Spanish teacher who teaches Spanish literacy and some math, science or social studies the other half, speaking only Spanish in class. Families choose the dual immersion option when they enroll through Infinite Campus, which enters the child in a separate DLI lottery. Kindergartners aren't tested; students applying for DLI in upper grades may be. Students who finish the program can work toward Utah's Seal of Biliteracy through AP classes and designated tests.

The daily schedule

From ALA's bell schedule:

High school periods (A/B days):

Junior high students eat lunch earlier, from 10:46 to 11:21. Five periods a day on an A/B rotation leaves room for up to ten class slots, and the 3:30 dismissal is later than most district high schools.

The four-day week. The high school page lists a "four day school week" among its highlights, and the office keeps hours Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The elementary page is more specific: a "four-day school week with Friday remediation," meaning Fridays are used for students who need extra help or makeup work. The trade-off for longer days is a shorter regular week; ask the school exactly how Fridays work for your student's grade.

The elementary school

ALA's elementary school, kindergarten through sixth grade, has its own principal, vice principal and dean of students. It lists:

• Spanish dual immersion,
• all-day kindergarten (with half-day options),
• an elementary fine arts program and "specials,"
• character development and leadership,
• academic field trips,
• a four-day school week with Friday remediation.

Elementary families get a student handbook, a curriculum overview and a parent council. Because the campus runs through 12th grade, a child who starts in ALA's kindergarten can stay through graduation without another lottery, which is one of the school's biggest practical draws.

The high school

ALA's high school serves grades 9 through 12 under a high school director and two assistant directors. Its listed highlights:

• a four-day school week and a low student-to-teacher ratio,
• college classes through concurrent enrollment and live interactive video,
• electives including computer science, robotics, foods and PE,
• fine arts: show choir, dance, drama, hip hop, orchestra, art and more,
• clubs including student government, National Honor Society, HOSA (for future health professionals) and DECA (business and marketing).

High school and junior high course catalogs are posted on the enrollment page, along with a student handbook, high school fees and a parent council. The junior high, grades 7 and 8, shares the secondary director and highlights with the high school.

Counseling and college planning. ALA's counseling team includes a counselor, a high school counselor, a career pathway coordinator and a school social worker, each with an online booking link. Starting in 8th grade, every student gets a Plan for College and Career Readiness (PCCR), a shared document the student and parents can open, with a four- to six-year course plan to graduation and information on concurrent enrollment, UVU live interactive courses, AP, Mountainland Technical College, scholarships and financial aid. Students update it every year, and counselors teach career lessons in classrooms. The counseling page also links ACT information, career pathways, graduation requirements and social and emotional support.

Performing arts

ALA's performing arts program lists band, orchestra, MDT, show choir, drama, ballroom, dance company, hip hop and theater tech. Its a cappella group, ALA Encore, posts performances on the school's YouTube channel.

Lunch

ALA takes part in the National School Lunch Program and serves breakfast and lunch, with separate menus for K-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Families can pay online or at the junior high front office, and free and reduced-price meals follow the federal program's rules.

Sports and the new fieldhouse

ALA competes in UHSAA sports. The athletics page lists girls and boys basketball, baseball, track and field, cheer, football, golf, cross country, girls and boys soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling, plus speech and debate and esports. Athletes register through Register My Athlete and complete a physical evaluation form.

The school broke ground on the Eagle Fieldhouse on Sept. 2, 2025. According to ALA, the first floor will have the main gym with stadium-style seating and an indoor turf practice field, and the upper floors will hold fitness rooms, batting cages, offices and locker rooms. Ask about the opening date when you visit.

The numbers

The state's Oct. 1, 2025 count:

About 37% of students are Hispanic, about 33% are economically disadvantaged, and 101 are English learners, according to the same data. The Class of 2025, 103 students, graduated at 92.2%, with a 6.8% dropout rate. For comparison, the Nebo district high schools nearby graduated between 93.6% and 96.2%; our graduation rates guide has every county school.

ALA compared with the district schools nearby

The biggest differences are the schedule and the structure: one campus for 13 years and a four-day week, versus neighborhood schools that change buildings three times and meet five days.

Is it a fit?

ALA makes the most sense for families who want one school from kindergarten through graduation, a Spanish immersion start, or a citizenship and character emphasis, and who are comfortable with a smaller high school than Spanish Fork's district schools. It's a harder fit for a student who wants the biggest menu of electives and teams; Spanish Fork High, Maple Mountain and Springville High are the nearby district options, each with 1,500 to 1,900 students.

Questions to ask before you apply

• How does the four-day week work for my student's grade, and what happens on Fridays?
• Who is required to attend Friday remediation, and how is it scheduled?
• What do secondary school fees cost for a typical year, and are fee waivers available?
• How long is the waitlist for the grade we want, and how often do seats open mid-year?
• Is there a sibling preference in the lottery?
• What transportation is available? Most Utah charters don't run district-style buses.
• Which concurrent enrollment and AP classes run this year?
• When will the Eagle Fieldhouse open, and what does it mean for sports schedules?
• Is there a uniform or dress code, and what does it cost?

What parents ask

Do we have to live in Spanish Fork? No. Charter schools take applications from across the state, subject to their lottery.

Is ALA religious? No. It's a public charter school with a patriotic and character-education focus.

Can my kindergartner start in dual immersion? Yes, if selected in the DLI lottery; half of the 100 full-day kindergarten spots are DLI.

How do we get there? Ask the school; most Utah charters don't run district-style bus routes, and with a 3:30 dismissal, pickup timing matters for working parents.

Can my student take college classes? Yes. ALA offers concurrent enrollment, UVU live interactive courses and AP, and every secondary student's college and career plan maps them out.

Is ALA the same as the Arizona schools? No. The Spanish Fork school is its own Utah charter with its own board.

Related guides

• Charter schools in Utah Valley
• Maeser Prep explained
• UCAS explained
• Spanish Fork High School guide
• Living in Spanish Fork
• Nebo School District guide

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