Why is Holly Academy different from other charter schools?

In 2021, Michigan had 292 authorized charter schools, only 15% are self-managed. Holly Academy is proud to be among those 15%. Our authorizer is Central Michigan University, but we are managed by our administrators and school board – there is no separate for-profit management company involved. This allows us to adjust our structure to adapt to the changing needs of our students and staff. It also embraces innovation! Many of our enhancements in and out of the classroom stem from ideas presented by staff, students, and parents. As a non-profit, all of our state aid goes directly to the education of our students.

How is Holly Academy similar to traditional public schools?

Holly Academy IS a public school – we are funded by the State of Michigan based on per-pupil funding equivalent to the base amount of our local districts. We are tuition-free and open to all students. We do not discriminate on any basis. We are held accountable to the same state and federal standards. Our teachers are all certified and highly qualified for their positions. Holly Academy is different than traditional public schools in that we cannot levy for local taxpayer dollars, therefore we must keep a substantial fund balance for our building and technology emergencies, as well as any facility improvements and expansions. We do not provide busing. We have many more measures of accountability from our authorizer in addition to those required by federal and state laws. And, most importantly, we have the flexibility in our structure to create a unique learning environment for every student at every learning level.

Why Holly Academy Middle School?

In addition to the reasons Holly Academy inspires excellence shown on Why Choose Holly Academy, students do better in small schools because:

• A higher percentage of students participate on our sports teams.
• Adults and students in the school know and care about one another to a greater degree than is possible in larger schools.
• Small schools have a higher rate of parent involvement.
• Students and staff generally have a stronger sense of personal efficacy.
• Students take more responsibility for their own learning; their learning activities are more often individualized, experiential, and relevant to the world outside of school; classes are generally smaller; and scheduling is much more flexible.
• There is more frequent use of instructional strategies associated with higher student performance—team teaching, integrated curriculum, multi-age groupings, cooperative learning, and performance assessments.

From Kathleen Cotton, “School Size, School Climate, and Student Performance,” Close-Up Number 20, 1996. Portland, Oregon: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Tel: 503-275-9618 503-275-9618; Website http://www.nwrel.org/“