Liahona Preparatory Academy
Private school in Utah County, Utah, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liahona Preparatory Academy is a tuition-funded private school offering instruction to students through their online distance education program hosted on Cognia and at their physical campus. The school is named after a reported artifact described in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) scripture The Book of Mormon which adherents believe functioned as a compass.[6] The school's curriculum centers around LDS-based “Restorative Education” principles.[7]
| Liahona Preparatory Academy | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
 | |
2464 W 450 S, Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062 Pleasant Grove, Utah Utah County , Utah 84062 United States | |
| Information | |
| School type | Private |
Religious affiliation | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) |
| Established | Jan 01, 1997[1] |
| Founder | Brent and Kolleen Degraff [2] |
| Status | Open |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrollment | 171 (2021–22) [3] |
| Language | English |
| Campuses | 1 |
Campus type | Suburban |
| Team name | Warriors[4] |
| Accreditations | Cognia (formerly AdvancED)[5] |
| Website | Official website |
As of 2024, Liahona Preparatory Academy had an average ACT score of 25, below the average score of 27 for Utah private high schools, tying for #11 out of 13 private high schools in Utah, based on ACT scores.[8]
Restoration Education
Restoration Education at Liahona Preparatory Academy integrates Latter-day Saint (LDS) doctrines into its academic curriculum.[7]
Extracurriculars
Athletics
As of 2024, Liahona Preparatory Academy is part of the Utah School Sports Alliance (USSA),[9] and the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA).[10] Their teams are called the "Liahona Warriors".[10]
Theatre
Liahona's theatre department produces 3-6 shows each year in their on-campus black box theater. Liahona's High-school division won the Utah Shakespeare Festival 1st place sweepstakes in 2014,[11] 2016,[12] 2017,[13] and 2018.[14] Their Jr. High team won the Utah Shakespeare Festival 1st place sweepstakes in 2015,[15] and 2016.[12]
Trips
Each year, Liahona students have the opportunity to attend a week-long, chaperoned youth conference at BYU's family campground in Aspen Grove. Additionally, students can occasionally participate in service trips to various locations, previous trips included; the Mexico Yucatán area, a Navajo reservation, and the Philippines. The school also organizes paid sight-seeing "super trips" to destinations such as Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Mexico, and Gettysburg. Prom is held annually for students aged 14 and older.[16]
Controversy
In 2013, Broch Clyde DeGraff, the son of Brent and Kolleen DeGraff, founders of Liahona Preparatory Academy, was arrested for sexually abusing two 16-year-old female students. The abuse occurred between October 2011 and June 2012 and involved grooming, text messages, and physical encounters at both the school and DeGraff's home. DeGraff, who was a teacher and the soccer coach at the school, was in a position of trust and authority, which he exploited to commit his offenses.[17] Broch DeGraff pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible sexual abuse and four counts of attempted sexual abuse, and was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.[18]