Summit Academy K-8 Independence

I love the School culture and connection our Principal Lisa Cutler, Assistant Principal Cristina Hortin, Teachers, and Support staff have created for our Independence Campus. I am thankful to have been an employee here since the Independence campus opened. I highly recommend your child attend here. I look forward to many more years at Summit Academy Independence!

I arrived here as a new teacher from Europe only a few months ago. I have been made to feel so welcome but all staff, students and parents. I have never experienced such kindness. A wonderful environment to work and learn in.

I have worked at Summit Academy Independence since it opened its doors in 2014. There is a unique feeling that is felt when you walk through the door. The German DLI program is an amazing part of this school!

My son has been with Summit Academy Independence for 5 years now and every year has been amazing! His teachers are warm, accessible and caring.

I am so grateful to the administration, special education staff, and general education staff at Summit Academy - Independence. This was our first year attending and it has made a world of difference for my six year old. I love that it has been such a welcoming environment; even in a Covid year. The warmth that we have received has made such a difference in how my son sees education. The progress that he has made in many areas is amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Summit Academy - Independence!

We love Summit. The German DLI program is a hidden gem. It is amazing! German culture element anchors the kids and helps them bond as a community. They do German holidays, German-oriented cultural events, such nice stuff for kids- special opportunities that are not available in public school these days, also all kinds of hands-on science. Bright kids just blossom in this environment! The kids in the German program have high test scores across the board, though the school isn't obsessed with testing. Administration are caring and responsive to parent input. They make a point of letting parents know that they hire licensed teachers. The German teachers are amazing. Mrs. Weser 1st grade endures as one of our favorites! We were pleasantly surprised by how few inexperienced teachers we've encountered. This school truly draws the best of set of educators with a special niche. This was a big worry of ours going into a charter, but the caliber of teachers has been beyond our hopes and dreams. Also they seem to constantly be getting more funding, adding more support staff, etc. Many of the families attracted to the program are international-minded. Some have a dad that was a missionary in another country, some have lived abroad for stretches, military or other. As far as sports, cross country, volleyball, boys soccer, and basketball are good. A lot of boys play club soccer in Riverton too. There is a bit of a BYU pipeline. BYU graduates, BYU football fans arranging social events, BYU students coming to do research, etc. We're impressed with the benefits of that constant connection to higher ed. The only downside of DLI is if you're planning to move.... well, DLI is a long-arc program, so most beneficial for those who can commit. Overall I can't believe how great this school is, for FREE. Glad we found it. It is definitely a family-like environment with caring bonds. NOT the weary grind of public school. We initially wondered how valuable German would be in and of itself. That is an afterthought now because the environment and community are so fantastic.

I have been blown away with how amazing this school has been for my children. The teachers my kids have this year are the best, and the school councilor is fabulous! My children have grown so much this year. No only have they grown academically but emotionally and socially. The teachers have met their needs not only with their weaknesses but in their strengths. Challenging them and supporting them where needed. I volunteer weekly and have seen first hand how smooth the classrooms are run. Being a former teacher myself and a behavior specialist I can spot developmentally appropriate practices and these teachers are above the rest! Both classroom teachers are calm and collected and never raise their voices. The classroom runs smoothly with routines and boundaries set in place. We love Summit Academy!!!

My girls have gone to Summit since we moved here and have liked it so much!! My daughter made varsity cheer when she was in 9th grade, now my son is following in her footsteps. He wants to he a cheerleader, as well as keeping up with the German Immersion program that is at Independence. It is an AWESOME SCHOOL!!

My two boys are in the German immersion program at Summit and I highly, highly recommend it! I have a masters in education, and have spent a lot of time with the teachers at the school. Their curriculum is solid, and their instructors care so much about the kids. It’s such a great environment for your children to be exposed to. My oldest is currently in 5th grade and my youngster is in 3rd. They both are doing so well! So well in fact, We took a trip to Germany in 2019 and I had no problem taking my then 4th grader on tours fully in German. He understood even more of the spoken language than I did. I was so impressed. There is no requirement as a parent to speak the language, though I do, so I am able to speak to the boys at home in German and they have no trouble understanding and responding to me. This year my older son wrote his first full page essay fully in German! I am just so impressed. A few notes if you are on the fence about Summit. There’s a lot of research that shows that learning German with help your child learn both music and math easier, they will have more ways to troubleshoot problems German gives them another neuro pathway to participate in critical thinking. They will not be slowed in their education and will typically score equally high or higher on the state tests as non dual immersion students and if nothing else, Summit is a family, the teachers staff and administration are simply amazing. No bullying is tolerated even for a second. They are loving and caring and your child will be safe and happy there. The last thing to say is at the beginning of the class all children go through the same issue. Headaches and stomach aches are common for the first few months of class. Just give lots of cuddles and extra sleep is necessary for your little, but don’t give up, it goes away right after Christmas! The other thing you will see only at the beginning is a drop in math and fluency scores. Don’t stress for one second. Your child is using a lot of brain power to learn a new language and after the first quarter you will see them bounce right back to normal. You will love the Summit family! I can’t think of a single person that I don’t count as a personal friend and I can genuinely say that I love the teachers, and I couldn’t think of a better, happier, safer place for my boys to be!

This school is good for the most part, the teachers and staff are lovable and caring. They always have fun lessons planned for the kids they will be teaching. They try to make you learn in the best way possible. There are a lot of fun teachers throughout the grades here. This school doesn't have a Chinese Immersion but, instead they have a German Immersion. Once entering the junior high side of the school they have a huge selection of electives you can take. They have great teachers on the main subjects, math, english, science etc. I have loved the teachers and the school for the many years I have gone here. If you ever think about going here, its a good choice.