Three new Georgia charter schools are set to open in fall 2025 and 2026 after gaining approval from the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC), including one in Fayette County.
The SCSC late last month approved Dominion Purpose Academy, a start-up charter school planning to locate in Columbus, Georgia. The SCSC also authorized petitions for Fayette Classical Academy and Cherokee Classical Academy, both of which are replications of Atlanta Classical Academy and plan to open in Fayette and Cherokee counties.
All three schools participated in the Georgia Charter Schools Association’s Charter Incubator program, a competitive training process designed to attract and prepare top talent for establishing or replicating public charter schools in Georgia.
Fayette Classical Academy and Cherokee Classical Academy were part of GCSA’s Replication and Expansion Cohort in partnership with the State Charter Schools Foundation of Georgia.
Each school will begin with students in grades K-6 and add a grade per year until reaching their full K-12 configuration. Fayette Classical Academy is approved to open in August 2025 and will serve residents of Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Clayton, Fulton, and Henry Counties, and the City of Atlanta.
The mission of Liberty’s schools is to form knowledgeable, virtuous citizens. Fayette Classical Academy and Cherokee Classical Academy will be replicated after Liberty’s flagship campus, Atlanta Classical Academy.
The schools will be non-selective, tuition-free and will offer a rigorous, classical curriculum with a focus on civic virtue. The content-rich, liberal arts curriculum includes literature, history, mathematics, sciences, Latin, the arts, character education, and ultimately a host of sports, fine arts, and extracurricular activities.
Liberty Classical Schools (Liberty) is a Georgia-founded, Georgia-based nonprofit operator of K-12 American classical charter schools and founder of Atlanta Classical Academy and Northwest Classical Academy, the wait lists of which presently include 3,300 students in total.
“We’re excited that these approvals will expand charter school access to more communities across our state,” said Dr. Bonnie Holliday, President and CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. “The opening of these public charter schools in Muscogee, Fayette, and Cherokee counties will help meet the growing demand and offer essential educational options to thousands of students.”
“The SCSC’s approval of each new school marks a monumental achievement for education in our state, as we celebrate the authorization of schools supported through the GCSA Incubator. The journey of each school is a testament to the power of collaboration, vision, and dedication,” said Christa Thomas, GCSA’s Vice President of New School Development.
“We are honored to have partnered with visionary leaders, passionate community advocates, and dedicated governing board members who have all been unwavering in bringing educational options to their communities. Each school stands as a beacon of opportunity, ready to deliver high-quality education to families who have long sought these choices. This is more than just the opening of new schools; it’s the fulfillment of a collective dream to enrich our communities and empower our students,” Thomas said.
Dominion Purpose Academy, Cherokee Classical Academy, and Fayette Classical Academy received state approval after completing the GCSA Charter Incubator program. This program supports start-up schools through the charter petition process and provides coaching and professional development during their initial two years.
The Incubator also provides existing charter schools and charter networks with the training, resources, and support to scale proven models of success to serve additional locations or students.
The Fayette Classic Academy’s web page lists its affiliation with Hillsdale College, a hyper-partisan, conservative Christian college in Michigan. I have no objection to any parents enrolling their children in this school, but I have every objection to a dime of taxpayer money funding a religious-affiliated organization. It clearly violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause, and it puts me in the position of involuntarily contributing to a religious cause. Is there no end to conservatives running roughshod over the U.S. Constitution?
I agree. You exposed the underlying agendas with your follow-up to this article on charter schools. I also oppose using government funding to support religious ideals. My kids went to Landmark. Tuition was brutal, but that was at my discretion with no reliance on public funding. Real Christianity does not obligate the public.
Charter schools in a county like Fayette are completely pointless. Our schools are excellent.