New Charter School Breaks Ground in Middleton: Forge International brings school choice to rural Canyon, Gem and Payette Counties
MIDDLETON, Idaho - January 23, 2019 - On January 10, 2019, Forge International - a new public
charter school - broke ground in Middleton, bringing a long-term vision to life. Joined by community
partners, the school’s leadership celebrated their continued vision to bring innovative, high-quality
education and school choice to rural Idaho. While physically located in Middleton, Forge International
School’s boundaries also include portions of Caldwell, Greenleaf, Notus, Parma, New Plymouth, Emmett,
and Star.
Bryan Moore, Board Chairman stated, “Forge is the result of five years of work by a wide group of people
and organizations to bring International Baccalaureate (IB) education to rural Idaho. Forge is being
created at the right time, in the right place by the right people.”
This sentiment is echoed by the parent of a future Forge International student. “It was amazing to be part
of the groundbreaking ceremony and to see the different agencies working together towards the goal of
bringing an IB dual-language education to an underserved rural community,” said Doricella
Millan-Sotello, whose son is registered to enroll at Forge in the fall.
Patrick Connor with Building Hope, a key partner in constructing the school shared, “We are looking
forward to delivering the future home of Forge International School in Middleton. We have a proven and
experienced construction team in place, and we look forward to opening the school this summer.” Calling
the project a blessing for the community of Middleton, Mayor Darin Taylor expressed his support and
commitment in working with school leadership to have the building project completed by next fall.
“Forge International, and schools like it, are the future of school choice in Idaho; bringing high-quality
educational options to rural Idaho, where little to no choice currently exists,” said Marc Carignan, who is
CFO of Bluum - a statewide nonprofit that has helped 15 high-performing schools, including Forge, open
or expand since 2014.
Opening in the fall of 2019, Forge International is currently accepting lottery applications for students in
kindergarten through fifth grade. Visit their website at www.forgeintl.org for more information.
Forge International is authorized by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission and governed by the
Sage International School Board of Directors. Forge International is modeled after Sage International
School of Boise which has been open since 2010.
