Salvaggio Academy, formerly CAI Learning Academy, is an independent, non-sectarian day school in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

. The school was founded in 2014 by Tony Salvaggio, chief executive officer emeritus of Computer Aid Inc., to provide a technology-enhanced learning environment for elementary and middle school students in the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

. As of 2024, the school enrolls grades K–5.

History

Computer Aid Inc, an Allentown-area IT consulting firm, has developed methods for technology integration in elementary and middle school education. The firm saw an opportunity to open its own

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

in Allentown, which would incorporate hands-on activities and

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

e-reading applications. The school originally was proposed to be located at a former

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

building then owned by the Allentown Diocese. While the charter school application received some support, it was ultimately rejected because the proposal "contained no evidence of support whatsoever by parents or students". This led to the founding of a private school at the location instead of a charter school, since the licensing process of independent schools is much more lenient than for charter schools. The school opened in September 2014 to 70 kindergarten students. In 2024, the school moved to a larger facility and was renamed Salvaggio Academy.

Tuition and financial aid

Annual tuition for all grade levels was $4,000 in 2014. More than three-quarters of all students receive some form of financial aid and the vast majority of the school's funding comes from donations through Computer Aid Inc.

References

{{Lehigh County, Pennsylvania School Districts 2014 establishments in Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 2014 Education in Allentown, Pennsylvania Private elementary schools in Pennsylvania Private middle schools in Pennsylvania Schools in Allentown, Pennsylvania