The Oaks Academy, an independent PreK–8 school focused on a racially and economically balanced student body, has surpassed its fundraising campaign goal of $4 million to a total of $5.5 million and announced a new, accelerated growth plan.
Established in 1998 in the Fall Creek neighborhood, The Oaks was created by members of the community who had a desire to provide an excellent Christ-centered education to families regardless of their socioeconomic circumstances. Due to growing demand, The Oaks Academy opened the Brookside campus in 2012 in the Fletcher Lippincott neighborhood, and a third campus, a dedicated middle school in 2015 on 16th Street in Martindale. The Oaks has grown from serving 53 to 815 students.
“Originally our plan was to grow to 870, but we were overwhelmed with the support of the community and interest from families,” said Oaks CEO Andrew Hart. “We are now seeking an additional $2 million in donations to fund infrastructure, hire new teachers and make modest facility improvements to accommodate 1,224 students total over the next several years.”
Investors in the project include The Drexel Fund, The Walton Family Foundation, Old National Bank Foundation, Nicholas H. Noyes Jr. Memorial Foundation, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation and over 400 individuals, businesses, foundations and churches.
Due to the size of its current facilities, The Oaks Academy, the fastest growing independent school in Indiana, is essentially opening a fourth school within its walls. The school continuously has state-topping test scores, including being the No. 1 school corporation in the state in 2015 and 2017.
