After receiving approval from a city planning board, a private school focused on disadvantaged students hopes to open next year in Dayton, Ohio.
The proposed home for the Greater Dayton School will be a five-story school building with 33 classrooms, a gym and a “wraparound” clinic. Outside, students would have access to a turf sports field and track, a basketball court and a playground.
The planned $35 million facility would serve about 400 to 600 students in pre-K through eight, reports Dayton Daily News.
The school plans to focus on students whose families have been affected by generational poverty and are seeking a racially-diverse educational environment.
Students who attend the Greater Dayton School would also have access to nutrition and fitness, counseling, healthcare, vision, dental, and family services that are all within the building.
The Greater Dayton School has committed to spending $30,000 per student annually, and it plans to use innovative academic strategies that are complemented with support services like vision, dental, a food pantry, mental health and pediatric therapy.
The Greater Dayton School has reached a deal with Dayton Public Schools that says no more than 40% of its students will be direct transfers from the district from the previous year.
The private school also agreed to donate $500,000 over three years to the school district, and it will not directly solicit students or families while on public school grounds and will not use public records-request information to recruit the districts’ students or staff.
The school hopes to open by fall 2022 with grades Pre-K through third.
