On Sept. 9, 1994, the Eagle County Charter Academy welcomed its first class of students into its borrowed home. The year-long efforts of local parents, educators and community members paid off with a finalized charter agreement and support from the Eagle County school board. Eagle County Charter Academy was born from its founders' beliefs in the values of educational choice, strong parent participation and academic excellence. As a public charter school, Eagle County Charter Academy could implement different curriculum, instructional strategies and programming to meet its goals. It also relied on the expertise of its administration and teaching staff to make educational decisions in alignment with federal and state guidelines.

DEEP ROOTS

During the past 20 years, the school has gone through many changes as it transformed into what it is today. Its fledgling years began in the Vail Bible Church with 64 students in fifth through seventh grade and a wait list of approximately 300. The next year, staff was added and the school's enrollment doubled. It quickly outgrew its location and found a new home near the water treatment facility in Edwards.

The Eagle County Charter Academy community moved in the spring of 2000 literally on the backs of volunteers. Parents and teachers loaded up trailers and transported modular buildings and second-hand furniture through scrub brush and open fields. It took a fair amount of sweat, a little bit of blood and the help of a bulldozer to situate the contents of six tractor trailers onto the new site, but the "new" campus now had enough space to allow Eagle County Charter Academy to grow. It was a defining moment for the community and a testament to Eagle County Charter Academy's pioneering spirit.

As time went by, additional grade levels were added and the school changed yet again. It was evident that the modular buildings had exceeded their lifespan and the current campus setup would not allow for any further growth. It became more important than ever to discuss another change in the history books of Eagle County Charter Academy: a permanent facility.

A NEW ERA

After a long and arduous Grant approval process, ECCA was awarded a grant for the new building in 2009. 

Finally, in 2013, new doors opened once again for Eagle County Charter Academy. After living through a year of on-site construction, the students and staff moved into their first "brick and mortar" home.

Eagle County Charter Academy looks back on its humble beginnings and is grateful for the experiences that helped shape it into what it is today — a place where the pursuit of excellence remains ever in the forefront. A place where parent involvement is not only valued but integral to the success of the school. A place where relationships are built between students and teachers. A place of community. A place that both current and former students and their families call home.

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ECCA opened in 1994 as the result of a small group of parents and teachers who wanted to provide a different educational experience in the Vail Valley.  ECCA set out to educate students based on a philosophy of character education, small class sizes, and rigorous academics. The first years of academics were just that, with longer class periods, a focus solely on core content, and a pace and intensity that rivaled top prep schools. Teachers and students were together non-stop; there were no TA’s or support staff to afford planning periods and breaks. Cleaning and maintenance of the buildings was part of the daily contribution each student and teacher made in order to help make ECCA a success. The attitude truly reflected a motto of “whatever it takes,” and it was the blood, sweat, and tears of those first families and teachers that gave ECCA is solid foundation. This sense of work ethic, pride, and responsibility to the community is still part of the core values at the heart of ECCA’s staff today.

ECCA has evolved considerably since those first days when 64 students met in the Vail Church. The school moved in its second year to a building on-site at the Edwards water treatment facility, and briefly expanded to accommodate high school classes in addition to middle school. After deciding to return to its middle school roots, ECCA dropped its high school curriculum and moved into modular buildings at its current location in Miller Ranch. Over the next few years, it expanded to include upper elementary and primary grades, finally adding kindergarten in 2004. With the addition of an elementary school, ECCA curriculum was also adapted, bringing in special classes, technology, and a K-8 Spanish program. After negotiating a 30-year land lease with the district, ECCA leadership began pursuing funds for the construction of a permanent facility. Nineteen years after first opening its doors, ECCA moved into a newly constructed building to house its K-8 community of nearly 350 students and more than 40 staff members.

ECCA has weathered the same educational storms as other schools in the last two decades, but it continues to reflect and refine itself as an institution for academic excellence. In 2006, the school board, along with the staff and administration, revisited the mission and vision of ECCA and recommitted to becoming “the premier school for educating students for the future demands of the changing world.” As national attention continues to focus on education and reforms continue to affect content and instruction, ECCA maintains a commitment to “putting children first” in curricular decision-making. Using state standards as the guideline, teachers are encouraged to design a curriculum that motivates, engages, and inspires students. Using data and best practices to drive instruction, teachers respond to student needs and continue to achieve award-winning results.   

The ability to be innovative and adaptive has been critical to ECCA’s success. In order to evolve successfully, ECCA has learned to carefully balance the two educational communities in which it resides: Eagle County School District and the Colorado League of Charter Schools.

Read more about ECCA's history in the Vail Daily.