Valor Education is a Texas-based charter school network offering students a full human education rooted in the classical liberal arts tradition, from the Great Books to fine arts to advanced math and science. They are expanding to San Antonio. On September 14, 2022, Valor Education began accepting applications for enrollment for the 2023–24 school year, and open enrollment continues until January 30, 2023. We have put together a guide to help you learn more about Valor San Antonio and take steps to enroll your child for the 2023–24 school year.
About Valor Education
Valor Education was founded in 2016 to promote a broad, deep, and authentic vision of education—one that recognizes and nourishes the human desire for wisdom, virtue, friendship, and community. In 2018, Valor opened its first classical charter school, Valor South Austin, serving grades K-8. In 2020, Valor North Austin opened, and in the fall of 2022, Valor Kyle opened its doors. The Valor Institute launched in 2019 and currently offers dozens of academic retreats and seminars.
Valor’s distinctive K-12 tuition-free classical charter schools offer students a full human education rooted in the classical liberal arts tradition, from the Great Books to fine arts to advanced math and science. During their time at Valor, all students memorize poetry, read and discuss the Great Books, participate in nature studies, learn Latin, serve in their community, care for plants and animals, explore the fine arts, and have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular clubs and competitive athletics.
In 2022–23, Valor Education serves over 2,200 students in central Texas, with plans to launch two more schools next year. Through Socratic teaching and a school culture filled with joy, respect, and deep engagement, their classical schools are forming students in wisdom and virtue so they can become fully alive and truly free. A Valor education is an invitation to live the fullest life possible, one directed by wisdom, animated by virtue, and anchored in friendship.
For more information about Valor Education, we recommend you read the news stories linked at the bottom of this post. Also, we invite you to join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook and ask questions; the group includes current charter school and classical education families who can comment with answers about their own experiences.
Valor Education in San Antonio
During the 2023–24 school year, Valor Education will have one campus in San Antonio on the Northwest side of San Antonio near the Medical Center (4300 Centerview Dr., San Antonio, TX 78228). The school will serve students in grades K–8 in 2023–24, expanding one grade level per year to eventually serve grades K–12.
Valor Education currently has three locations in the Austin area. In addition to the San Antonio campus, they are also opening a new campus in Leander in August 2023. On its district report card, Valor Education earned an A rating.
Download the free San Antonio Charter Schools app for an interactive map that includes charter school campuses near you. You can also find campus information about Valor Education (and many other schools of choice) on our page Guide to Charter Schools in San Antonio.
Enroll at Valor San Antonio
Families can apply online to enroll their children at Valor. The application period for the enrollment lottery is currently open for the 2023–24 school year and will continue through January 30, 2023. Valor held a random lottery on January 31, 2023, and the students who are selected will receive an email inviting them to register. The other students will be placed on waiting lists; if a spot becomes available, they will be notified. There is a page of enrollment FAQs on Valor’s website. Families can use the contact form on Valor’s website to join the interest list. They can also email info.sanantonio@valoreducation.org or call 210-903-0383 for more information.
To sign up for a Parent Info Night or Valor campus tour, visit the Valor Education Eventbrite. These are great opportunities to learn more about Valor San Antonio and meet with leadership.
We recommend following these accounts on social media: Valor Education on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
In addition, please join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook to post questions and search previous discussions about Valor. The group includes families who are on the same school search journey.
Facts About Valor Education
Valor’s motto, sapientia per admirationem, points to the fundamental task of cultivating and promoting a deep sense of wonder in every student. Each school offers a robust student life experience including service opportunities, wilderness expeditions, extracurricular clubs, school festivals and celebrations, leadership and mentorship opportunities, and field trips. Through Valor’s Human Encounter program, students spend meaningful time with the elderly, people with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged individuals in their community. Valor students embark on two Wilderness Expeditions during their Freshman and Junior years. In the backcountry, free from the distractions often present in our contemporary life, students awaken to a deepened sense of wonder for the natural world. Extracurricular clubs at Valor vary from campus to campus but may include art, strings, drama, robotics, chess, Latin, science, gardening, and personal fitness. School festivals and celebrations, such as Fall Fest, Upper School dances, the Integrated Humanities Program Symposium, and the Valor Games, promote a spirit of joy and friendship across the student body.
The Valor Institute brings together people who wish to enlarge their experience through shared conversation, reading, and recreational encounters with the natural world. With centers in Austin and San Diego, the Valor Institute offers a variety of programs involving teachers, college students, professors, artists, scientists, and professionals to cultivate wisdom, gratitude, and friendship as a community.
Charter Moms Chats
Watch Dr. Mark Discher, Headmaster at Valor San Antonio, Stephen Gordon, Superintendent of Schools at Valor Education, and Erin Fonner, Director of Marketing and Communications at Valor Education, speak with Inga Cotton on Charter Moms Chats on October 20, 2022 at 4:00 PM Central live on Facebook and YouTube.
Dr. Mark Discher has been in the field of education for over thirty years. He received a B.A. from Wheaton College, an M.Div. from Fuller Seminary, an S.T.M. from Yale University, and his doctorate from Oxford University. He and his wife have three school-aged children. Dr. Discher has taught at colleges and universities across the country, including Ottawa University, University of St. Thomas, Benedictine College, and the College of St. Mary Magdalen. An entrepreneur, Dr. Discher operated a trucking company in his home state of Illinois for nearly a decade. Recently, he pioneered two classical charter schools in the Phoenix area. Aside from teaching, reading, and writing, Dr. Discher enjoys music and building model railroads with his sons. Dr. Discher is eager to make the acquaintance of new families as he begins the important preparatory work for a strong school opening in August 2023. Please take a moment to read Headmaster Discher’s welcome message to families, and look for events taking place in the near future in the San Antonio area, where you will be able to meet Dr. Discher personally.
Stephen Gordon is the Superintendent of Valor’s network of classical charter schools in Texas. Prior to beginning with Valor, Mr. Gordon served as the Director of Academics for Great Hearts in San Antonio. Responsible for overseeing curriculum, instruction, and assessment, Mr. Gordon helped the schools to implement a comprehensive academic intervention program and achieve remarkable academic results, significantly outperforming surrounding schools on the Texas state assessments. In this role, Mr. Gordon also provided ongoing direction and coaching to school leaders. Before moving to San Antonio, Mr. Gordon served for five years as Assistant Headmaster and master teacher of Humane Letters and Poetry at Glendale Preparatory Academy in Phoenix. Previously, he worked as an English teacher at The Latin School of Chicago, Ursuline Academy in Dallas, and St. Monica School in Dallas. In addition to school leadership and teaching, Mr. Gordon has extensive experience heading up community service programs in schools. Prior to beginning his career in education, he spent a year volunteering full time in an inner-city mission program in Philadelphia, helping to coordinate a soup kitchen, overnight shelter, and children’s program. He received both his B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Dallas.
Erin Fonner is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Valor Education. Prior to joining the Valor team, she founded a successful marketing firm and has helped clients develop their brands, refine their messaging, and develop marketing strategies. Mrs. Fonner was also the Director of Marketing for Mission of Hope, a non-profit that serves in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was a Marketing Strategist with The Fury Group in Houston. In 2005, Mrs. Fonner was awarded a Fulbright grant and taught English Grammar at the collegiate level at la Universidad Austral de Chile. Prior to her time abroad, she was the Director of Communications for New Church Initiatives and a Study Abroad Advisor for Texas A&M University. A proud Texas Aggie, she received her B.A. in Communication, Business, and Spanish.
Read More About Valor Education
- “Valor Leander to open in August 2023,” Zacharia Washington, Community Impact, August 26, 2022
- “Valor Kyle now open,” Ashley Kontnier, Hays Free Press, August 17, 2022
- “Valor Public Schools changes name to Valor Education,” Sumaiya Malik, Community Impact, August 3, 2022
