The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Science. The lowest is 37% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Cheyenne Classical Academy
Cheyenne Classical Academy is a tuition-free public charter school that opened in August 2024, making it one of the newest education options in Wyoming's capital city. The school currently serves elementary grades and operates as its own independent charter district, with a publicly reported plan to add one grade level each year until it builds out a full kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade program. That growth trajectory means families enrolling now are joining a school still in its early stages, with facilities and programming expanding over time. The first phase of the campus, converted from a former church building on Twenty-Second Street, is already in use, and further construction is underway.
The school's academic model sets it apart from other public options in Cheyenne. It adopted the Hillsdale Curriculum, a classical liberal arts framework in which all students study literature, mathematics, history, science, the fine arts, Latin, and physical education. The emphasis is on content-rich instruction, moral character, and civic virtue. For families drawn to a classical pedagogy and a structured approach to knowledge-building, this is a defining feature rather than an incidental one. Latin instruction in the elementary years is uncommon in public schools, and its presence here signals the school's commitment to its model.
State assessment results from the first year are available, though they come with an important caveat: the number of students tested in each grade is very small. With cohorts this size, a single student's performance can shift a grade's results substantially, so the first year's scores are best read as early signals rather than stable trends. In English language arts, the school showed relative strength, with the fourth-grade cohort performing particularly well and third and fifth grades landing at a moderate level. Math results were more mixed. Third and fourth grades reached a moderate level of proficiency, while fifth-grade math was low. Fourth-grade science results were comparatively strong. Taken together, the school's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint relative to districts in Laramie County, based on the county-level comparison set.
Several data categories that parents often consult are not yet available. Enrollment figures, demographic breakdowns, free and reduced-price lunch rates, special education and English learner populations, staffing details, and discipline data were all missing from the available sources. This is common for a school in its first year of operation, as these data streams typically lag behind the opening. A parent may want to ask the school directly for current enrollment and demographic information. Graduation rate is not applicable here, as the school does not yet serve high school grades.
Cheyenne itself is Wyoming's capital and most populous city, serving as the county seat of Laramie County. The economy rests on government services, military operations at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, and transportation, with emerging growth in data centers and renewable energy. The city has a historic downtown core with buildings dating to its railroad-town origins, alongside cultural institutions like the Wyoming State Museum and the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. The annual Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo is a widely recognized community event. Outside the downtown core, the city is largely automobile-oriented with suburban-style development.
Housing in the school's zip code shows a typical value somewhat below the state and national benchmarks, with recent year-over-year appreciation outpacing both. Rents are modest relative to many Western cities. Mortgage rates remain elevated by recent historical standards.
For a family weighing this school, the central question is fit with the classical model. The curriculum is distinctive, the school is small and growing, and the first year's test results are encouraging in some areas and uneven in others, which is not unusual for a new school. What is missing from public data right now is the fuller picture of who attends, how the school handles student supports, and what the community culture feels like inside the building. Those are conversations to have directly with the school as it continues to build.
See more original research from School Decision →