Provo School District is sandwiched between two growing districts. For seven years now, the district has been holding steady with about 13,200 students -- but with a charter school moving from the south-end of the city to a more central location, Greg Hudnall estimates that as many as 100 middle school students could be packing up and leaving.

"Charter schools influence us, there's no doubt, but they pull from all of the surrounding districts," said Hudnall, Provo's director of student services. "As you see more charter schools coming to the area, there could be more of a shift in our population."

Right now, Freedom Academy and Walden School of Liberal Arts are the only charter schools in the Provo School District. Both schools are in the process of building new schools for next year and expanding their student population to include new grade levels.

Walden School will add elementary classes, while Freedom Academy will expand to include a middle school, along with lower grades. Walden School is still waiting to receive final approval for its building plan with the city, at 4200 N. University Ave. Freedom Academy broke ground on March 3 for its building at 1200 W. 900 North.

Provo School District officials are unsure of what Freedom's impact will be on the elementary schools in the area -- Westridge and Grandview -- but Hudnall said at the most, the equivalent of three teachers could be lost at the middle school level.

The district has talked about possibly closing Grandview Elementary when the new Lakeview Elementary opens in August 2008. A focus group meeting was held last week to talk about options, including trying to keep Grandview open.

April Dean, Freedom Academy's spokeswoman, said the school chose the new site because of the central location to the city, and not because Grandview might close.

"There is just very little property left in Provo," Dean said. The school will be built in an area that is zoned only for public uses, such as a park or school. If Grandview does close, she said Freedom Academy would be a good option for parents, if they could get in. The school has a maximum class size of 25.

Walden School is also drawing on the central location, said Diana West, the school's director.

"Even though we've expanded, I still don't think we have much of an impact on the public schools here," West said.

Many of Walden's students come from alternative education, such as private schools or home-schooling, not public schools, she said. Fifty-two percent of the school's families live in Provo, and 22 percent come from Orem.

At Freedom Academy, nearly three-quarters of the students come from Provo, Dean estimated.

"Parents are really pleased to find an alternative," she said. "Many of them feel their students aren't challenged enough, are bored, or are just parents who want to find something new."

Both schools strongly support local public schools, but felt like there should be options for families. Freedom Academy and Walden School of Liberal Arts are at enrollment capacity for next year, with waiting lists to match.

"It's amazing how little people know about charter schools," Dean said. "They are certainly not for everyone."

Charter schools are publicly funded, and generally must follow the same regulations as traditional public schools. This includes laws relating to religion, fees and tuition, health and safety, civil rights, annual reporting, prohibitions against the advocacy of unlawful behavior, and the screening of potential employees or volunteers. A charter school has a governing board, which can determine the level of compensation and the terms and conditions of employment. Charter schools can only hire educators with valid teaching certificates or who meet state board requirements for alternative certification or authorization.

Jo Schmitt, the Utah State Office of Education Charter School office administrative secretary, said there is no cap as to how many charter schools there can be in a particular area. It just depends on who applies and meets the criteria.

Brooke Barker can be reached at 344-2559 or bbarker@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.