School Profile

As evidence of North Carolina’s continued dedication to quality STEM education in the state, the North Carolina State of Board of Education has developed an application process to identify and recognize exemplary STEM schools and programs at elementary, middle, and high school levels. This STEM recognition program provides schools with an opportunity to submit an in-depth application that assesses the school’s approaches to leading, learning, and implementing the 11 essential STEM attributes, which include but are not limited to successful integration of project-based learning across all disciplines, integration of technology and virtual learning, authentic assessment of STEM skills, work-based learning experiences, and community college credit completion. Schools that are able to demonstrate all attributes of these criteria at a “prepared” or “model” level will be recognized by the State Board of Education. 

In the Spring of 2018, YVRCA was evaluated by a STEM assessment team, which was incredibly impressed with the school’s seamless integration of technology throughout all subject areas, as well as the strong personnel support provided to integrate STEM programming. As a result of the application review and visit, Valley Academy was designated as a ‘Model’ STEM-accredited institution.