The short answer is as soon as we can. Currently, we are working to secure a site and the seed funding necessary to launch. Everything else is in place.

Our current vision includes a soft opening in the fall of 2025 with a proof-of-concept program of academic enrichment and experiential education. Then a full-school, full-program opening in the fall of 2026.

When and where we open is dependent on 1) raising funds to develop the program and hire an outstanding faculty, and 2) finding a site.

We are currently pushing both angles 24/7.

Our financial projections are designed to keep the cost of tuition as low as possible while still maintaining viability and solvency for the school. Our current projections show us running a full program and balancing the operating budget in year four if we open with a tuition of $23,500. We will need to increase tuition at an average rate of 6.2% for the first four years in order to reach a sustainable balanced budget in year four of operation. The Board of Trustees will set tuition each year and we will make those determinations considering our families and the long-term goal of establishing this school in this valley.

Yes. We are committed to making our school as broadly accessible as possible through tuition discount awards that are as generous as we can make them. A healthy tuition assistance program is absolutely essential to our mission of serving the common good and Teton Valley families.

Our ability to offer tuition assistance that puts a Tetons West education within reach is dependent on our philanthropic fundraising. A school devoted not only to individual benefit but to the common good asks every member of our community to do what they can to make this experience accessible for others.

Families applying for tuition assistance will be asked to submit an application that is typical for such programs.

As of March 2025, our most urgent need is a site.

1. A site – As an experiential, outdoor-oriented, and active learning program with aspirations for a close and supportive community, the site we are looking for will accommodate both indoor and outdoor learning, shop and studio spaces, a space for community gathering, and acreage to run horses. We are looking for at least 4000 sqft with at least 10 acres, parking, and easy access from anywhere in Teton Valley. We are also looking for a site that will allow us to grow as our program and our enrollment expand.

2. Funding Requirements – To get to launch, we need just over $415K for legal filings, hiring, admissions, siting, training, administrative systems, and planning for opening day. Our intent is to raise at least 75% of what we need to reach maturity before we open our doors. That way we avoid launching without the ability to deliver year after year. To reach maturity in four years, admitting one group of 16 students at a time, with 64 students in 4 grade-levels and 17 employees, we need an additional $1.8M.

3. Cofounders and Collaborators – We are looking for creative talent to help lift Tetons West off the ground. If it is you, you’ve got the time, vision, and determination to help build an exceptional high school from scratch. We have a detailed educational plan in place, but collaborative design is part of our model, so there are rich opportunities to dream, design, and create a shared Tetons West reality. There is a lot of work to be done, tight timeframes, no guarantee of success, and, currently, it is all volunteerism. Our start up model includes founder and co-founder stipends for the work it takes to launch, but we don’t have that money yet.

4. Trustees – We are actively in search of qualified board members.

For our first year of operations, we intend to admit a pioneering class of 16 ninth grade students. In the preceding spring, we will hire 5 teachers and 3 teacher–administrators, For year two we will promote the ninth grade students to tenth grade and again admit 16 new ninth grade students, and so on until we reach year four with 64 students in 4 classes, 9th through 12th grade. We will also fill out our faculty and administration year by year until we have a full contingent of 17 employees, including teachers, administrators, and staff.

We will start with our core academic subjects and we will build in the rest of our program as we are able to develop our space and our faculty.

The following documents are complete and available:

• Business Plan and Executive Summary – For those interested in making a strong gift to the school –– and for those interested in a detailed look at our complete plan for success.

• The Prospectus – An eminently readable and reasonably detailed description of our vision, our opportunity, and our program.

• The One-Pager – The briefest description of our project. Just the main points.

The Prospectus and The One-Pager are available here. For the Executive Summary or the Business Plan, contact Peter Poutiatine directly - peterp@tetonswest.org.

Four ways:

1. Right here.

2. The “Take Action” button on the home page.

3. Send a check to Tetons West Experiential High School, 225 Wild Horse Dr., Tetonia, ID, 83452.

4. Reach out to Peter Poutiatine directly to talk about what you’d like to see happen: peterp@tetonswest.org or at 208/313-1661.

Yes. Our needs for community involvement are broad and various. We have not yet begun to hire, but I’d love to talk to you if you are interested in teaching or staffing the school.

There are a few other doors you might want to open.

Board of Trustees – We are looking to expand the Founding Board of Trustees. It is a special job for a committed group of people, and, to be plain, it carries no special privileges. Also, there is a process to it. That said, there is probably no better way to become more deeply involved in the launch and development of what promises to be a real and tangible benefit to the Teton Valley community. The founding board will be forever lionized in the mythology of Tetons West, and it may be the closest thing to immortality you can find.

Cofounders and Start-up Collaborators – Peter is actively looking for inspired compatriots in this work. It takes time, vision, and a good bit of risk tolerance. You’ll know if this is you. If you have ever thought that you wanted to be a part of starting a school, here is your opportunity.

If any of these opportunities appeal, contact Peter Poutiatine at peterp@tetonswest.org.