American Heritage School truly has an amazing history. But how did we get here?
The seeds of today’s school were planted back in 1876 when Brigham Young directed Karl G. Maeser to found Brigham Young Academy, which served children in grades K-12 and even post-secondary students. At the time, the school was independent of the Church or state. In 1896, because of financial strain, the Academy was transferred to Church ownership. 
In 1903, the Academy was divided into Brigham Young University, Brigham Young High and Brigham Young Elementary. The two latter schools played an important role as the heart and laboratory of the BYU College of Education for 65 years. Several future founders of American Heritage, including the school’s first-ever Board of Trustees Chairman H. Verlan Andersen, either attended the Academy or sent their children there.
In 1968, BYU President Ernest Wilkinson announced the high school and elementary school would close at the end of the year, spurring Andersen to meet with fellow BYU professors and parents with the intent to re-establish a private school that focuses on morality, religion, liberty and patriotism. American Heritage School was born!
After holding classes for a few years in homes and elsewhere, the founders acquired an old LDS chapel in Pleasant Grove in 1970.
Over the next 40+ years, the school has grown into what it is today as dedicated people have made meaningful contributions to its culture and stability. In 1972, Geneve Cornell Deuel and Kay Asay wrote our beloved annual patriotic program “The Spirit of America Speaks.” In 1975, a widow named Mrs. Greene stepped in and freed our school from debt.
As our school grew, the need to move into a larger building became evident. In 2001, a fundraising campaign raised more than $12 million for a new building, and in 2002, the doors of our current building opened for classes.
To learn more about how American Heritage School came to be, please take a look at our timeline. We’re so grateful to all the people, past and present, who have loved American Heritage and the students we serve.