Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board approves new academy in Blanchard

OKLAHOMA CITY — A network of rural Oklahoma charter schools will expand into Blanchard next year. 

The Academies of Oklahoma, a charter school district with sites in Seminole and Okmulgee, intends to enroll between 180 and 220 elementary and middle school students in Blanchard in fall 2025 with plans to add high school classes in 2026.

The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board unanimously approved The Academy of Blanchard during a meeting Monday. The statewide board has become the charter authorizer for the Seminole and Okmulgee schools, as well, taking over charter oversight from the Oklahoma State Board of Education.

The charter district encompassing the Seminole, Okmulgee and Blanchard schools is now known as The Academies of Oklahoma.

The district’s superintendent, Wren Hawthorne, said the Blanchard school would bring a program with proven success to the city of 9,400 people southwest of Oklahoma City.

“If you know the Blanchard area, that community is growing so quickly that there’s a need for new educational seats in that area,” Hawthorne said during the board meeting. “So we’d be providing help as that community continues to grow.”

The charter district started in 2017 with The Academy of Seminole, which calls itself a “life-planning school” focused on career preparation and dual-enrollment in college. It was the first charter school founded in rural Oklahoma.

The Seminole school has surpassed the state average in performance and growth on yearly reading, math and science tests, according to the most recent Oklahoma State Report Cards from the 2022-23 school year.

Leaders of the charter district opened The Academy of Okmulgee this year. Hawthorne said the Okmulgee school is already at full capacity.

The charter district expects the Blanchard school to open at maximum capacity, as well, based on attendance at local open house sessions and expressed interest from families, Hawthorne said. 

The Academy of Blanchard would cap enrollment at 24 students per class from kindergarten through eighth grade. It intends to add ninth grade in fall 2026 and additional high school classes in the subsequent years.

Hawthorne said the school already secured a location in Blanchard.

Members of the Statewide Charter School Board said they were encouraged by the charter district’s success.

“I think part of our mission here is to see more stories like what has happened with your schools,” board member Ben Lepak told Hawthorne during the meeting.