Student & family handbook
Policies, expectations, and how we handle hard days
This handbook governs enrollment, attendance, conduct, and progression. By enrolling, families affirm agreement with everything in it — so it is worth reading before you apply, not after.
Section 1
Enrollment & admissions
Who we serve
The VA School accepts students in grades Kindergarten through 12, and eligible graduates into The VA Higher Institute. The school is designed to serve students at all academic and behavioral starting points.
No student is turned away because of academic gaps, behavioral history, or prior school difficulty. Those are exactly the students this model was built for.
The admissions process
Submit an enrollment application
Complete the Family Enrollment Agreement online. It takes about fifteen minutes.
Intake meeting with the Head of School
We discuss your student's history, your goals, and exactly what the school expects of families and students.
Initial student assessment
Informal and observational. It places your student in the appropriate cohort and establishes a baseline for progress monitoring — it is not a test to pass.
Enrollment confirmed
Confirmed upon receipt of the signed Enrollment Agreement and the first monthly contribution.
Section 2
Tuition & fees
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly family contribution | $200 per student per month | Covers extracurricular activities and supplementary programming. |
| Iowa ESA tuition | ~$8,000 per student per year | Paid directly by the Iowa Department of Education ESA program upon school accreditation and family enrollment. |
| Financial hardship | Available on request | Contact the Head of School to discuss individually. |
Full details, including how Iowa ESA funding works, are on the tuition page.
Section 3
Calendar & attendance
Because each student's progression is tracked individually, an absence creates a specific gap in a specific skill sequence — which has to be resolved before advancement.
Schedule
- Instructional days: Monday through Thursday, a four-day week
- Calendar: Year-round, with scheduled breaks
- Closures: The school follows Buena Vista County weather emergency protocols
Attendance policy
- Families notify the school on any day a student will be absent.
- Three or more consecutive absences require a re-entry meeting with the Head of School.
- Chronic absence — more than 10% of instructional days — triggers a Student Support Plan.
- The school does not penalize students academically for excused absences. Mastery determines advancement, not attendance count alone.
Section 4
Behavioral framework — the Three Pillars
Grounded in Applied Behavior Analysis. These are taught as academic content, reinforced individually, and held to the same mastery standard as any subject.
| Pillar | Definition | How it is developed |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Control | The student manages emotional responses, resists peer pressure, and responds constructively to environmental influences. | Practiced daily through structured scenarios, coached in real time during challenges, and demonstrated through observable behavior change. |
| Self-Awareness | The student knows where they are, what they are supposed to be doing, and what their current emotional and physical state is at all times. | Developed through structured check-ins, reflective practice, and environmental orientation training. |
| Strength of Character | The student maintains their values, commitments, and belief structure through adversity, peer influence, and personal challenge. | Developed through deliberate exposure to difficulty with coaching support, and affirmed through the Taekwondo value framework. |
Responding to behavioral challenges
No behavioral challenge is treated as a crisis here. It is treated as an instructional opportunity, and it follows a defined sequence:
Coach the student in the moment — name what occurred, identify the behavior without shaming the student.
Analyze the antecedent — what triggered the behavior? What environmental or emotional factor was at play?
Identify the pivotal behavior that was absent or challenged.
Develop or reinforce the skill — provide direct instruction or additional practice on the relevant pillar.
Affirm the student's capacity — close every coaching interaction with a forward-looking statement of belief in the student.
Section 5
Taekwondo requirements
Taekwondo is a core component of enrollment — not an elective, not supplementary. It is the physical and philosophical vessel through which the school's values are practiced rather than merely discussed.
- All students participate in Taekwondo training as part of the regular school schedule.
- Belt rank progression follows the school's traditional Taekwondo curriculum.
- Rank advancement requires demonstrated mastery of technical skills, forms (poomsae), and demonstrated embodiment of the five Taekwondo values.
- Instructors are required to complete foundational Taekwondo training as a condition of employment.
- Rank achieved during enrollment is formally documented and recognized.
Section 6
Graduation requirements
Graduation is not conferred by age or seat time. It is earned.
Academic requirements
- Demonstrated mastery in all core subject areas: Mathematics, Science, English Language Arts, Social Studies
- Completion of applied subject requirements: Computer Science/Coding, Leadership Development
- Competency in all skills within the student’s individualized progression sequence
- Demonstration of academic performance consistent with 12th-grade equivalency
Character & physical requirements
- Demonstrated mastery of all three Pivotal Behavior pillars, assessed through instructor observation, structured demonstration, and behavioral history
- Taekwondo rank consistent with black-belt level values and character standard, as assessed by the Head of School
- Demonstrated physical conditioning and self-discipline through sustained Taekwondo participation
Two graduation pathways
| Pathway | Description |
|---|---|
| Direct Graduation | The student completes all academic and character requirements — target: by age 16 — and is prepared to enter the workforce in a skilled trade or chosen career. The VA School diploma is awarded at a formal ceremony. |
| Higher Institute Pathway | The student completes all graduation requirements and elects to enroll in The VA Higher Institute for advanced career and academic preparation (ages 16–18). The diploma is awarded upon Higher Institute completion, representing the fullest achievement the student has pursued. |
Questions about any of this?
The intake meeting exists precisely so you can ask them. Start an application, or call and ask first — either order works.