Original Research by School Decision on Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy (1001519)
Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy is a young public charter district serving kindergarten through eighth grade, housed in a single school in Page, Arizona. It opened its doors in the 2022-2023 school year, adding a new public school option to a remote area where Page is the largest town for a considerable distance and where families on the Navajo Nation reservation also look for schooling choices. The district is small, and operates only the one K-8 school.
Because the school is still new, the public record on academic performance is thin. Arizona’s state testing data for 2024-25 is largely suppressed for individual grades, a common practice when the number of tested students is very small. The district’s reported overall proficiency rate across all tested grades sits in the mid-twenties for English language arts and in the low teens for math, based on that single year of results. With only one year of testing data available, there is no trend to examine, and no state testing information from prior years to compare against. A parent considering this school would want to discuss directly with the school how its students are progressing and what assessment data the school tracks internally.
The student body is small and reflects the surrounding community. White students make up the largest share, followed closely by American Indian or Alaska Native students, with smaller shares of students who are Hispanic or of two or more races. The school serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade; notably, no eighth graders were enrolled in the reported year. Information about the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, as well as students with disabilities and English learners, was not available in the data, so a full picture of the student support needs is not possible from public sources.
One area that stands out as a soft spot is chronic absenteeism. The district’s rate of chronic absence sits below the midpoint among Coconino County’s districts, meaning it is higher than many of its neighbors. This is a metric that families may want to ask the school about, as high absenteeism can affect classroom continuity and student progress. Per-pupil spending, on the other hand, lands in the middle range, on the upper half of the county’s districts, suggesting resources are roughly in line with what other local districts provide.
The school’s educational model is its defining feature. According to publicly reported information, Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy has adopted a full Expeditionary Learning (EL Education) model, a nationwide approach in which students spend a substantial portion of their time outside and learn through thematic units called expeditions. One core teacher integrates math, science, social studies, English language arts, outdoor education, and art into each expedition. Math is supported by Waldorf and WildMath curricula, while English language arts uses EL Education’s own curriculum. This is a distinctly different approach from a traditional classroom—hands-on, cross-curricular, and heavy on outdoor time—and it will appeal strongly to families who want that kind of active, place-based learning. It may not suit every child, particularly those who prefer a more structured, desk-based environment.
Because the district serves only through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. Families will need to plan for where students will go after eighth grade, likely to Page High School or other options in the region.
Glen Canyon Outdoor Academy is a small, new option with a distinctive outdoor expeditionary approach. Academic results are still emerging and are too limited to draw conclusions about effectiveness, so families should engage directly with the school on that front. The peer environment is diverse, with a significant Native American presence reflective of the Navajo Nation communities the school serves. The high chronic absenteeism is a point to explore further. For a family seeking an intimate, nature-integrated education for elementary and middle school years, this district offers something genuinely different. For those who want a clear track record of test scores and long-term outcomes, the public data does not yet provide that assurance.
See more original research from School Decision →