Public School In Rural Idaho Touts Patriotic Focus

At a school in rural Idaho, students wear red, white and blue uniforms while learning in classrooms named after the Founding Fathers. They can also recite all four stanzas of the Star Spangled Banner.

North Valley Academy is the first public charter school in Idaho to advertise itself as a “patriotic” choice for parents, with an emphasis on individual freedoms and free-market capitalism.

Founder Deby Infanger is now planning a second patriotic-themed charter school with support from Mormon businessman Frank VanderSloot, a national campaign finance co-chair for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

While the focus of North Valley Academy may mesh with conservative ideals, Infanger said that her aim is not political. North Valley has drawn about 10 percent of the local district’s student population.