Charter school to open soon in vacant Prattville shopping center

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) – A new charter school will soon offer another education option in the city of Prattville.

Ivy Classical Academy will open this fall. Classrooms will be located in the High Point Town Center, a shopping center that has struggled to find tenants ever since the 2008 recession.

Construction workers are busy getting the school ready to open by early August.

“We found this location a few years ago. It was built originally as a shopping center,” said head of school Dr. David Withun.

Withun says the charter school follows a curriculum developed at a private college in Michigan.

“We are affiliated with Hillsdale College. They provide us with support through training our teachers,” he said.

In the fall, the school plans to enroll more than 600 kindergarten through fifth graders, with 60 staff members, 32 of them teachers.

“We’re going to grow into a K-12 school by adding a grade every year,” said Withun.

He says a charter school receives taxpayer funding and runs much like a public school but has the ability to get creative with the way their students are taught.

The school will also have extracurriculars like art, music, gym, and language. In the future, they plan to add sports teams as they add grades each school year.

Students from Elmore County or children of staff will get priority enrollment, but students throughout the region are welcome.

Prior education, discipline, and attendance scores are not considered for enrollment. To learn more about the academy, click here.

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