Class is in session at Northeast Ohio Classical Academy

by Emily Canning-Dean

After retiring from his medical consulting business in 2020, former Bath resident Robert Anthony wanted to find a way to give back to his community. Four years later, he is the founding board president of Northeast Ohio Classical Academy, where classes began Sept. 3.

“I realized one of the best things I could do was to support education,” he said. “Education is a need in the community and we all need to explore how to make education better.”

Anthony teamed up with other members of the community, formed a nine-member board and got to work on preparing for the opening of this tuition-free, public charter school.

The team spent eight months transforming a former 36,000-square-foot office building on a 9-acre lot at 137 Heritage Woods Dr. in Copley into a school.

“We completely gutted the building and transformed it,” he said, adding that there are roughly 100 children currently enrolled at the school, but there is room at the facility for as many as 350.

Anthony said the school employs a staff of 14 and offers education for students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade with plans to add a grade each year.

“The plan is to eventually grow to K through 12,” he said. “The current building will allow room for K through 8 so in the future, we could either add on to the building or find another building to house the high school.”

While the school receives funding from the state and a small amount from the federal government, NEOCA is also funded through a large public bond offering, Anthony said.

NEOCA adheres to all of the state requirements for a public school but has its own charter, and the curriculum is based on a “classical education” model from Hillsdale College, an independent, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Michigan.

“In a nutshell under classical education, we believe all children are good and we educate them in a way that produces good adults,” said Anthony. “Specifically, people who can read, write, do math and think for themselves. Also, we want to create adults who can think for themselves, who are ethical and speak the truth and who understand the importance of civic responsibility.”

Classes cover the standard subjects of math, science, literature, history, grammar, languages, fine arts and physical education, but the curriculum is created to adapt to children’s abilities as they grow.

According to the NEOCA website, elementary students enjoy memorization so they learn each subject’s grammar. Middle schoolers are more inquisitive and are taught the logic behind subjects. High school students are taught the rhetoric of subjects and how to present their ideas persuasively.

NEOCA also highlights 10 virtues including fortitude, courage and temperance, for students to develop their character.

Additionally, the school’s policy prohibits students from using cell phones, laptops, the internet and social media while at school.

“With the classical education model, we are creating a teacher-centric environment that is free of distractions like cell phones,” Anthony said.

Any child eligible to attend public school in Ohio is eligible to attend NEOCA. More information is available at neocacademy.org.

Anthony said the website also includes information on how community members can get involved with the school. He believes community support will breed success and help students at the school thrive even farther.

“We want to be a strong and viable partner with the community,” he said. ∞

Photo (main/above): Founders of the school spent several months transforming the former office building into a school. Photos by Emily Canning-Dean.

Photo is an example of a first-grade classroom. The school
currently has roughly 100 students enrolled.