Vanguard Academy seeks to provide hands-on learning, collaboration, innovation, critical thinking, and discovery in preparation for ‘the real world’. Through project based learning, students will develop valuable skills and knowledge for their professional development and life after graduation.

Project Based Learning is an innovative approach to teaching that focuses on the work rather than the subjects. By providing students a core project to center their learning around, project based learning takes away the pressure of a full class schedule.  This allows students to learn the material gradually and comprehensively, emulating the way we learn things in the real world. It also allows the students to explore their interests and passion as they take control of their academic journey.

The Project Based Learning method has been gaining popularity in schools across the nation, including Washington State. Educators have found that students who participate in this type of hands-on curriculum, are better prepared to handle challenging work environments using their communication and critical thinking skills.

This has prompted us to re-think the way we are teaching our students to ensure they learn the skills necessary to navigate between the subject matter and how to apply them in relevant situations. Because life doesn't happen in subject areas–neither should our student's education. 

The Moses Lake School District is excited to offer students a choice between Moses Lake High School and Vanguard Academy for a successful academic career, no matter where life takes them.

2017 Bond

Since the passage of the 2017 construction bond, work has been underway to provide a plan for a second high school in our district. The initial vision was for a 1,600-person high school designed to offer a nearly identical education model and class offerings as our existing high school, built in a location across town. The need for this size high school was based on a combination of enrollment data and birth rate trends.

With resources from the 2017 bond, we brought in external resources to analyze our district’s facility needs and begin initial planning for the implementation of this bond. These experts work exclusively with school districts using comprehensive research, data collection and best practices to inform long-range planning.

This additional data showed our capacity needs were different than what our enrollment numbers alone were telling us. Given the diversity of high school program options, such as the Digital Learning Center and Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center, a significant number of enrolled students (nearly 400) are off-campus for their education. Meaning they are not physically present at Moses Lake High School.

So while our enrollment numbers showed a capacity concern, actual physical capacity concerns are not as significant as previously understood. If the district were to build another 1600-person high school, our capacity would be greater than our actual need, and we would subsequently be ineligible for a significant portion of future state construction match funds to update the current Moses Lake High School.

2018 Resolutions

After evaluating the district's facility needs and with the new information they uncovered, the board accepted a resolution to the initial bond in August 2018.  This resolution secured an additional $34,135,953 in state matching funds and would allow the creation of two new elementary schools in the district.  It would also allow for renovations to be made to benefit the existing Moses Lake High School.

With the new plan of an efficiently-sized high school, MLSD will receive an additional $34,135,953 in state match dollars over what we would have been eligible for with the initial vision. The state match funds, totaling $63.5M, allows us to build two new elementary schools immediately and have $51M available in 2028 as modernization money for MLHS.

Once the resolutions were approved by the board, a committee was formed to create a vision for this new high school in Moses Lake.

The committee was tasked,

To create a vision of High Schools for Moses Lake that is forward-looking, future-oriented and which can serve as a model for defining and designing the new secondary-level school building as well as redesigning Moses Lake High School to best serve and prepare all students.

2019 Planning

In Spring of 2019, the planning committee decided that Vanguard would feature a project based curriculum after the success seen in other school across the state featuring this new style of education.

Throughout the year, the committee worked closely with the school board to define what this new school would look like.  Once the board finalized the location, near the existing MLHS, rigorous planning went into how this school will be able to best serve the needs of our students.

Everything from the ground up has been designed to inspire and foster students innovative thinking in a positive and collaborative learning environment.

2020 Delays

Like many things in our world, the progress on a new academy experienced delays.  Until there was more information available, there was some uncertainty as to what the future of education would look like.

2021 Back On Track

As things started to return to normal, the work to bring students a new school was back on track.

With a whole new understanding of what students needed to thrive and succeed in their education, this brought with it a critical look at what students need to learn, the final plans for Vanguard Academy were established and we broke ground on the new building spring 2021.

By September 2021 the school board had narrowed the name choices down to a few and a community vote was conducted.  The board then affirmed the popular vote and officially named the new school, Vanguard Academy.  

Graduating Students

Our inaugural class of 9th and 10th grade students will be the first graduates of Vanguard academy in 2025.