Nº 01West Valley City, Utah · Est. 2015

A school where belonging is the first lesson.

Roots is a tuition-free public charter high school with five acres of working farm and two hundred students.

One philosophy holds the whole place together. We call it 243. It means We Love You.

Grades: 9–12
Founded: 2015, West Valley City
Tuition: Free. Always.

Photograph Nº 01
Morning chores. Violet and Pixie, our rescue donkeys, are loud but well-groomed.

For Current Families

Our Mission

Love first. Belong Always.

We built Roots for students other schools gave up on. Five acres of farm. Five hundred chickens. Belonging is the floor. Everything stands on it.

See it work. Book a tour

Why It Matters

When a student feels they belong, everything else becomes possible.

Brighter futures.

Up to 66% lower odds of mental health, violence, and substance abuse problems in adulthood, for teens who felt connection in school.

Steiner et al., 2019. Pediatrics. n = 14,800.

Better behavior.

Teens who feel they matter to the adults around them show lower depression, anxiety, and misconduct.

Marshall, 2001. Journal of Adolescence.

Stronger outcomes.

Strong teacher-student relationships nearly double the impact of a typical school intervention on learning.

Hattie, Visible Learning. 800+ meta-analyses.

Photograph Nº 02

Roots student holds a baby goat she helped to raise.

Meet The Students

Two hundred reasons Roots exists.

Two hundred students. Most arrived after a hard run somewhere else. A school that ran out of patience. A year that ran out of time.

Here, they walk in already loved. They walk out with a state-recognized diploma and confidence well-earned.

You cannot fake the look on a kid’s face when an animal recognizes them. You can only build a school where it gets to happen.

How To Step In

Two doors into Roots.

For Families

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Apply for 2026-27.

Tuition-free. Public. Open enrollment with a lottery if we go past capacity. Walk through the steps in English or Spanish, then book a tour with the director.

Apply now Book a tour

For Donors & Volunteers

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Stand with us.

Time or donations, both keep the place running. Your gift feeds the pantry, funds the lambs, keeps the farm running. Workdays, mentorship, and group days fill fast.

Donate Volunteer

Ways To Give