Local parents are working to create a new private school in Columbus that could open in about 18 months.
Liberty Academy of Columbus describes itself on social media as a “K-9 classical school” projected to open in the fall of 2023.
According to a fundraising pamphlet from the organization, “Liberty Academy’s goal is to cultivate the minds and guide the hearts of young people through rigorous time-tested classical methods, with instruction in moral character and civic virtue, rooted in the Western tradition.”
Liberty Academy’s founding team declined to speak about the school, saying in an email response to The Republic that they have a communications plan in place and “will be staying true to our stakeholders and families by adhering to it throughout our incubation.”
According to records from INBiz, Liberty Academy of Columbus, Inc was created on Nov. 23, 2021 and is listed as a domestic nonprofit corporation. The registered agent is Victor Huff. Per the fundraising document, Liberty Academy expects to become a 501(c)(3) in spring of 2022, at which time pledge donors will be contacted about their gifts.
Organizers wrote in a November 2021 newsletter that they are “parents, first and foremost,” who want to educate and raise their kids well and provide local families with a new option for their students’ education.
“As one parent who was classically educated in a homeschooling environment and one parent who has attended and served as a public educator, we have had to make hard decisions about what is best for our own children’s educational needs,” they wrote. “As we examine the educational options here in Columbus, we have found them very limiting and feel as though many students in our community are not having their educational needs met.”
They added that families “need the most options possible in order to make the correct choice for their children.”
The initial newsletter described Liberty Academy as a “start-up, non parochial classical education school” without a religious affiliation.
According to the fundraising pamphlet, Liberty Academy’s curriculum and instruction will be based on the following principles:Classical teaching based in the Western tradition, with a focus on American values and civic duty
Acknowledgement of objective standards of truth, correctness, logic, and beauty
The three stage process of training the mind: grammar, logic, and rhetoric
The use of Latin to build an understanding of language and aid in learning
Recognition that all knowledge is interrelated
Emphasis on school and family relationship
Additionally, the organizers plan to implement minimal technology use, “teacher-centered instruction” and growth of moral character.
Liberty Academy is conducting fundraising efforts for the school, which organizers say will help recruit families and staff, identify the proper facility and cover start up costs.
“In order to provide the best possible educational option for families in Columbus, Liberty Academy will rely on little to no federal funding,” organizers said. “Approximately 75% of funding will come from tuition. Liberty Academy’s success is dependent on the generosity and support of community members…”
Per a mid-January newsletter from the Liberty Academy team, the organization met and exceeded its initial fundraising goal of $25,000. Its long-term goal is $200,000 for “year one operations.”
