Competitors for Life

With the 2034 Winter Olympics coming home to Utah, there's never been a better moment to invest in the young athletes and scholars who will carry that legacy forward — and Winter Sports School, located minutes from the Utah Olympic Park, is where academics and athletic ambition meet. Join us in the final phase of our $5 million Reaching New Peaks campaign to expand our campus and give Utah's student-athletes the world-class facilities they deserve as our state takes center stage on the global winter sports scene.

• Who we are: An instructor-led, college-preparatory program in Park City, UT for dedicated winter athletes in grades 9–12, founded in 1994 and operating as a Utah State Charter School since July 2014, with current enrollment of 115 students.

• Mission and vision: To provide students the tools, support, and balance to reach the highest levels of success in education and life — and to be the leading college-preparatory school for dedicated student-athletes.

• Inverted calendar: Classes run April through November, completing a full college-prep curriculum in roughly seven months instead of the typical nine to ten, freeing the winter for athletic training and competition.

• Academics only, athletics anywhere: WSS is strictly academic and out of session in winter, so students train with whichever sport club best fits their needs anywhere in the world — serving athletes across every ski discipline plus soccer, mountain biking, hockey, sport climbing, and equestrian.

• Governance and funding: Reporting to the Utah State Charter School Board and Utah State Board of Education, WSS is not a Park City School District school and has no taxing authority — it receives no local property tax revenue or Park City Education Foundation funds, only partial Charter School Local Replacement funding.

The 8,700-square-foot expansion will fund the following goals:

• Five new classrooms to enhance instructional excellence, including specially designed spaces for lab science, visual arts, and online learning.

• Collaborative space, including a faculty workspace, small meeting rooms, and a student lounge.

• Courtyard with tables for student use during lunch and as additional outdoor learning space.

• Shaded Canopy Amphitheater that seats 350 individuals and will serve as an all-school and community gathering space.

Our Case for Support

• Funding gap: As a public charter school, WSS receives considerably less per-student funding than the local public school district.

• Reliance on philanthropy: Private contributions — individual gifts, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants — are essential to supplement public funds and meet the school's ambitious educational goals to support both our capital expansion goals and our annual operating budget.

• Volunteer-powered: As a non-profit charter school, WSS depends heavily on volunteers in its daily operations.

• Campaign leadership: The capital campaign is overseen by a volunteer Board of Trustees drawn from business and legal leadership, the non-profit sector, athletic national governing body officials, and education.