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No Child is Average. We built a school on that truth.
Take a moment to think about your child; their curiosity, imagination, bedtime questions, what lights them up, and what they struggle with. These combinations of strengths and quirks make them who they are.
Now ask yourself: Is their school designed to help them grow in a way that honors all that?
Most schools were built for an “average” student. But here’s the truth: your child isn’t average. No child is. That’s a beautiful thing.
This August in Cleveland Heights, we’re opening an elementary school designed around this truth, where learning is personal, flexible, and focused on helping each child discover and develop their distinct abilities and interests in a safe, nurturing environment.
A Different Kind of School
As educators and parents, we’ve spent years teaching young children, leading schools, and most importantly, listening to families. Over and over, we hear concerns around three themes:
Safety. Parents want their children to be safe. Physically, yes, and also emotionally. They want their kids to feel seen, to not slip through the cracks. Safe to be themselves and to find their voice in an environment rooted in high expectations.
Academics. Parents (and teachers) are frustrated by constant testing and teaching testing strategies. When their child finishes work early, parents don’t want them just given busywork. They are looking for meaningful, real-world learning and instruction that is challenging and tailored to their child’s needs.
Values. Parents want more than just academics. They want schools that nurture character, reflect the values they teach at home, and honor childhood as precious. Parents want their child to move, play, and explore, not to sit still all day. They want school to take a less-is-more approach to technology use, prioritizing connection and learning-by-doing.
We listened. And we built something different.
Forest City Academy is not driven by the way it’s always been done. Our model isn’t designed to teach to the test, it’s designed to cultivate thinkers, doers, and difference-makers. We’re driven by the kind of people we’re helping shape: confident, curious, resilient people of character who have discovered and are applying their unique gifts in the world. We designed backwards from there.
We believe that the school should fit your child, not the other way around.
Here’s how we’re different:
👥 Intentionally Small: Just 30 students across K-2 in Year 1 (growing each year) to ensure each child is seen, known, and deeply supported.
📚Mastery-Based: Kids move forward when they’re ready, at their own pace. If your kindergartner is reading, they’re doing work at their level, not coloring a letter “B” worksheet.
🏃♀️Active & Engaged: Daily time in the gym and playing outside. Good for learning, good for life.|
🔑 Accessible: Most families pay between $1,500–$5,000 out-of-pocket for the year—because great education shouldn’t be out of reach.
🎯Learner Agency: Students get voice and choice and are empowered to take ownership of their learning.
🐐Core Values In Action: Growth, Ownership, Agency, and Thankfulness (GOAT) lived out daily.
Most of all, we believe every child is gifted. It’s our job to partner with you to help uncover and nurture those gifts.
Next Steps
Forest City Academy has limited K-2 seats available for August.
If this type of school sounds like what you are looking for, we’d love to meet.
Schedule a tour or conversation by May 31 to be eligible for a Founding Family Scholarship.
📍 12601 Cedar Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44106
📞 216.387.9649