Liahona Preparatory Academy

Liahona Preparatory Academy is a small, accredited K-12 Latter-day Saint school in Pleasant Grove, Utah, with an online track that extends its Restoration Education pedagogy to distance learners nationwide. It operates at a scale meaningfully smaller than BYU Online High School or Ensign Peak Academy, under 200 students, and its pedagogical thesis is more explicitly doctrinal.

Last updated: 2026-04-24 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Online academy + on-campus; Restoration Education integrated with classical elements
Worldview	LDS (explicitly Restoration-theology-integrated)
Grades	K-12
Formats	Print, digital, hybrid, online live class
Cost tier	Standard to Premium
Parent intensity	2 (online diploma track) to 4 (homeschool certificate track)
ESA-common	Yes
Accredited	Yes, Cognia
Established	1997 (founded by Brent and Kolleen DeGraff)
Website	liahonaeducation.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	Standard college-prep curriculum; 2024 average ACT of 25 is below Utah private school average
Ease of teaching	3	Teacher-led online track; homeschool certificate track depends on parent grading
Content quality	3	Restoration Education integration is distinctive; academic materials are traditional
Flexibility	4	Dual-track diploma vs certificate; live and recorded class options
Value for money	4	Accredited LDS program at roughly $5,000-$6,000 per year for high school
Worldview scope	1	Specifically LDS; Restoration theology integrated into every subject
Visual/design	3	Functional LMS; campus-school aesthetic translated to online with limited polish
Support resources	3	Small-school personal attention; limited dedicated support infrastructure

Who the publisher is

Liahona Preparatory Academy was founded on January 1, 1997 by Brent and Kolleen DeGraff in Pleasant Grove, Utah. The school's founding narrative frames the institution as a response to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's call to educate "the youth of Zion" through a distinctly Latter-day Saint academic model, and the curriculum's organizing concept, which the school terms "Restoration Education," integrates LDS doctrines into academic subjects rather than bracketing them into a separate religion class. The name itself references the Liahona, a directional instrument from the Book of Mormon.

The school is accredited by Cognia and offers both on-campus enrollment (at the Pleasant Grove, Utah campus) and distance enrollment (through the online program). Enrollment was 171 students in 2021-22; current total enrollment is reported by third-party directories at approximately 200 students. By comparison, Ensign Peak Academy operates at roughly three to four times this scale and BYU Online High School considerably larger still. Liahona's smaller size is felt in both positive (personal attention, close-knit community) and negative (thinner institutional resources, narrower elective catalog) ways.

The cultural and theological positioning is more explicit than at Ensign Peak and more integrated than at BYU Online High School. Liahona's Restoration Education framework presumes LDS theological categories as the foundation for academic content rather than as an add-on. The program is not faith-friendly or faith-neutral; it is faith-integrated in a way that would be more familiar to observers of classical-Christian education in its structural commitment (integrated worldview, distinctive anthropology, specific canon of texts) than to a mainstream college-prep program with a Bible class bolted on. Families considering Liahona should understand that this is not a cultural framing that can be ignored by choosing electives carefully, it organizes the curriculum.

The core pedagogy

The organizing pedagogical thesis is Restoration Education, which the school describes as a Christ-centered model that integrates gospel principles across every academic subject. In practice, this means that history is taught through a providential-Restoration lens, literature is selected with attention to worldview-formation within the LDS tradition, and science is presented within a framework that treats Restoration theology as the explanatory context. The approach has structural similarities to classical-Christian education's integrated-worldview method, with the content of that worldview being specifically LDS.

Signature mechanics. (1) Dual-track diploma structure. Students choose between the Utah State Diploma (24 credits, Cognia-accredited, parent-graded assignments not accepted) and the Certificate of Completion (homeschool track, parent-graded assignments with 85% completion requirement, no accredited transcript). (2) Four-day academic week. Classes run Monday through Thursday; Fridays are reserved for parent-guided activities and assignments. This is a material structural choice that accommodates the homeschool family's need for flexibility more than conventional five-day online schools do. (3) Elementary family-style instruction. Elementary core subjects are taught in grouped classes with level-based math and writing; the approach resembles a one-room schoolhouse model adapted to online delivery. (4) Extracurricular integration for on-campus and distance students. The theater program, annual youth conference at BYU's Aspen Grove, service mission trips, and monthly campus visits are extended to online students where logistically feasible.

Graduation requirements for the accredited track total 24 credits across standard subject bands, with AP and honors electives available. The homeschool certificate track uses the same curriculum materials but substitutes parent-graded assignments for school-graded assignments and does not produce an accredited transcript.

A day in the life

An eighth-grader in the online diploma track begins at 8:30 AM Mountain Time, the program runs on a synchronous live-class schedule Monday through Thursday. The morning block runs through 1:15 PM with subject-specific classes on Zoom, with recorded options available for students in other time zones or with conflicts. Typical middle-school subjects include Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Seminary/Religion, and a rotating elective. Each class is roughly 45-60 minutes; the day includes breaks and a lunch window. Friday is unstructured, the family uses the day for parent-guided activities, makeup work, field trips, or community commitments. Total engaged class time: roughly 16-18 hours per week on live or recorded sessions, with an additional 5-10 hours on independent assignments. The parent's role on the diploma track is monitoring rather than instructing; on the homeschool certificate track, the parent becomes the grader of record and the pedagogical partner.

A fifth-grader in the elementary online track follows a shorter day, 8:40 AM to 12:45 PM, with family-style core-subject instruction interspersed with level-appropriate math and writing blocks. The rhythm is closer to a traditional one-room school model than a conventional online elementary program, with a single teacher responsible for the cohort across multiple subjects.

What they do exceptionally well

Restoration Education as coherent integration. For LDS families who want their student's academic formation to reflect their theological commitments in structure rather than just in a religion elective, Liahona's integration is deeper than BYU Online High School's faith-friendly framing or Ensign Peak's community-oriented model. This is a feature for the target family; it is accurately described as a feature rather than as a cultural add-on.

Dual-track structure respects homeschool autonomy. Liahona is one of the few schools that offers both a fully-accredited diploma track and a non-accredited homeschool certificate track using the same curriculum. Families who want the curriculum and community without the accredited-school oversight can elect the certificate track; families wanting the diploma can elect the accredited track. Most schools force one or the other.

Four-day academic week. The Monday-through-Thursday class schedule with Fridays reserved for family-directed work is a meaningful structural accommodation. Most online schools run five days and then pretend Friday is "flexible"; Liahona has built the flexibility into the calendar itself.

Small-scale personal attention. With fewer than 200 students, teachers know students by name and families can communicate with administrators directly. This is a genuine differentiator against larger competitors where student services work through ticket systems.

What they do poorly

Academic outcomes data is mixed. The 2024 average ACT score of 25, reported on Liahona's Wikipedia entry, is below the Utah private-school average of 27 and places the school 11th out of 13 private high schools in Utah by ACT score. Families prioritizing measurable college-preparation outcomes should weigh this against the program's other strengths.

Academic rigor is standard rather than elevated. Unlike CTY or Davidson Academy, Liahona's course catalog does not include significant above-grade-level or research-intensive options. AP and honors exist but are not the program's calling card. Families with academically advanced students may find the ceiling lower than desired.

Production values are modest. The online LMS, instructional video quality, and course-material presentation are functional rather than polished. Families comparing Liahona to premium-priced competitors will find the aesthetic gap noticeable, though this reflects the lower tuition rather than negligence.

Elective catalog is narrow. Small-school economics limit the number of concurrent elective sections, and distance students outside Utah cannot easily access the theater program or the campus-based extracurriculars that form an important part of the school's community life.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Liahona Preparatory Academy if: you are a Latter-day Saint family seeking a school where Restoration Education organizes the academic program rather than supplementing it; you value the four-day academic week and Friday-for-family structure; you want small-scale personal attention at an accredited school rather than a large institutional experience; you want the option of a homeschool certificate track using the school's curriculum without full accreditation; you are willing to accept modest production values for structural and theological alignment.

• Skip Liahona Preparatory Academy if: you are not LDS and want a worldview-neutral or differently-oriented program; your student is academically advanced and needs above-grade-level or research-focused coursework; you want premium production values in your online instruction; you prioritize measurable college-prep outcomes like higher average ACT scores; you want a large-program elective catalog with multiple AP tracks and specialized electives.

Cost honest assessment

Tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year runs approximately $4,800 for private students, with tuition reaching $6,060 for the highest grade, depending on courses taken and accreditation status. The homeschool certificate track runs below the accredited diploma track; the school publishes enrollment pricing through its online registration portal.

Compared to Ensign Peak Academy at $2,340-$2,730 for high school full-time Live enrollment, Liahona runs roughly double for the accredited track. Compared to BYU Online High School at roughly $4,320 per year for Semester Live full-time, Liahona is comparable to slightly more expensive. Compared to Laurel Springs at $11,000-$17,250, Liahona is substantially less.

A realistic all-in family budget for one full-time accredited-track high-school student runs $5,000 to $6,500 per year including enrollment fees; homeschool certificate track families run below that range. ESA-funded families in Utah Fits All and other state programs typically cover the full tuition at Liahona's price point.

ESA eligibility notes

Liahona Preparatory Academy is approved on Utah's Utah Fits All ESA program and reportedly on Arizona ESA, Florida's Step Up For Students, and West Virginia's Hope Scholarship. Because the school is religiously affiliated (LDS), families in states with restrictions on religious-school funding should verify eligibility with their state program before enrolling. The school's dual-track structure (accredited diploma vs homeschool certificate) may affect ESA reimbursement in states that fund only accredited programs; families on the certificate track should confirm coverage specifically.

Alternatives

• Ensign Peak Academy, a family would choose Ensign Peak over Liahona when they want a lower-cost LDS-oriented accredited program with larger live-class cohorts and less doctrinally integrated academic content.
• BYU Online High School, a family would choose BYU over Liahona when they want the BYU institutional credential on the diploma and a broader course catalog, accepting faith-friendly rather than doctrinally-integrated framing.
• Kolbe Academy, a family would choose Kolbe over Liahona when they want the integrated-classical-worldview pedagogy of Restoration Education in its Catholic-tradition parallel rather than LDS.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed Liahona Preparatory Academy's published program pages at liahonaeducation.com, including the homepage and Online Education pages. Founding year (1997), founders (Brent and Kolleen DeGraff), enrollment figures, and academic outcome data were cross-referenced against Wikipedia's Liahona Preparatory Academy entry and published third-party directories including Private School Review and Finding School. Accreditation (Cognia) is from the school's own published accreditation statement. Prices and program details verified April 2026.