Nittany Valley Charter School opened its doors to 48 students in grades 1-8 in September of 1998. This was only the second year that charter schools were in existence in Pennsylvania. Since that date, the school has continued to offer individualized learning opportunities to students in the State College Area district. The original charter was renewed in 2001 for a five-year period and again in 2006 for another five years.

Nittany Valley Charter School received a charter as a pre-existing school. It had been founded as a small, private academy by Carolyn Maroncelli with the financial support of the Colkitt family. When Act 22, the charter school law, was passed in 1997, the staff and families of Nittany Valley Academy decided that reorganizing as a charter school would enable the school to share its unique learning opportunities with more families. They formed a founding coalition that spent long hours completing the charter school application and meeting with the State College Area School District to convince them that they should be approved.

Once approved, the student body increased from 24 students to its maximum capacity of 48. The school quickly outgrew its original home on Sandy Drive, moved to a temporary location on Science Park Road, and now is in its permanent home at 1612 Norma Street.

The academy’s original goal of providing an education tailored to the whole child’s needs and incorporating a strong environmental component has become the core of the charter school’s mission. Parental participation and involvement in our community were added to the original goals and now provide the framework for all curriculum and activities at Nittany Valley Charter School.