The Appleton Area School District has chosen a host school for its new African- and Black-centered charter school

APPLETON - The Ọmọladé Academy, a new charter school focused on Black history and culture, has found a host school and is open for enrollment for the next school year, according to Appleton Area School District superintendent Greg Hartjes.

The district has chosen Huntley Elementary School, 2224 N. Ullman St., to house the new charter school.

"It's a great location" with plenty of room for incoming students, Hartjes said. Not only are four classrooms open at that school with sixth-graders moving to middle school, but the new Sandy Slope Elementary will also affect the number of students assigned to Huntley.

As for The Ọmọladé Academy's enrollment, Hartjes said there's already 30 to 40 students and enough kindergarten enrollment to have at least one section. AASD is planning for 100 students to sign up for the charter school through the spring and summer and will soon post job openings for the school.

"Everything is progressing the way we'd like it to," Hartjes said.

He's seen "a lot of excitement" about the new charter school from district families. Schools like The Ọmọladé Academy reflect the district's commitment "to choice in education," Hartjes said. "We know that our families value options."

AASD's charter schools, which will number 14 when The Ọmọladé Academy opens, allow the district to provide schools that have "a smaller size and different ways of teaching and learning," he said. "There's enough students that will find more success" with the new charter school's model, he added.

The Ọmọladé Academy is open for enrollment. Here's more information and how to apply

The Ọmọladé Academy is run by African Heritage Inc., an Appleton-based nonprofit that works to advance the well-being of African Americans and people of color. The school's name translates to "Child of the Crown" in the Yoruba language, which is primarily spoken in southwestern Nigeria and parts of Benin and Togo.

According to the school's website, the school's name is "a beautiful and meaningful word that represents the potential and promise of every child who walks through our doors."

The school will serve grades kindergarten through three and be open to all children. Its goal is to celebrate the cultural heritage of African descendants through core subjects. According to a social media post from the group, its hope is to incorporate reading, arts, engineering and entrepreneurship into STEM curriculum, which it refers to as a "STREEAM" approach.

Both African Heritage Inc. and AASD have announced the school is open for enrollment. While the enrollment window for the district's charter lottery has closed, Appleton-area families that apply can still get on a waiting list for the charter school of their choice if the school is already at capacity. Families outside AASD's boundaries can also open enroll to the charter school through April 30.

More: 10 common Wisconsin open enrollment questions answered

More: Here's what charter schools are and how they work in Wisconsin

Reporter Danielle DuClos contributed to this report.

Rebecca Loroff is an education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her with story tips and feedback at 920-907-7801 or rloroff@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @RebeccaLoroff.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton African- and Black-centered charter school finds location for fall 2024