Accel Schools
| Company type | For-profit education management organization |
|---|---|
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Fairfax County , United States |
Key people | Ron Packard (CEO) |
| Products | Charter school management, online school programs |
| Parent | Pansophic Learning (formed by K12 Inc.) |
Accel Schools, presented as ACCEL Schools, is a for-profit education management organization overseeing 77 charter school campuses and 15 online school programs, mainly situated in Ohio. These schools operate with budgets considerably smaller than those of other Cleveland educational institutions.
History
Beginning in 2014, Accel assumed control of schools previously managed by I Can, Mosaica Education, and White Hat Management. According to the Wall Street Journal, Accel was established in 2014 when K12 Inc. formed Pansophic Learning, backed by Dubai-based Safanad Limited, with Accel serving as its U.S.-focused charter school entity. By 2015, Accel had become Ohio’s largest charter operator, running more than 40 schools. In 2021, the organization educated approximately 23,000 students across 50 schools.
By 2022, under the leadership of CEO Ron Packard, Accel managed a total of 73 physical and virtual charter schools spanning Washington, Arizona, California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, with recent expansion into West Virginia. Ohio accounted for 64 of these institutions. Global School Properties, Accel’s real estate division, handles property acquisitions and leases facilities to the schools operated by Accel.
The organization has been criticized for permitting charter schools in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods to incur substantial debt while charging interest on these loans to itself.
In June 2024, following a violation notice under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the EPA mandated that Accel remediate lead paint and asbestos hazards at three Ohio-based schools and restricted building access to conduct testing. These schools subsequently reopened.
As of 2024, Accel operated 77 brick-and-mortar public charter schools alongside 15 online programs. In December of that year, former employees disclosed that Cornerstone Academy—an Accel-managed school—had used a "nightlock" device to secure students inside classrooms. Accel recognized this as an unauthorized action stemming from a "training issue."
Performance
Accel Schools demonstrate strong academic outcomes in Cleveland, Ohio; however, their performance rankings in Sandusky are relatively lower.
Colorado
Ohio
- A+ Children's Academy, Columbus, Ohio
- Akron Preparatory School, Akron, Ohio
- Bridges Preparatory Academy, Tiffin, Ohio
- Broadway Academy At Mount Pleasant, Cleveland, Ohio
- Broadway Academy At Willow, Cleveland, Ohio
- Canton College Preparatory School, Canton, Ohio
- Capitol Collegiate Preparatory Academy, Columbus, Ohio
- Case Preparatory Academy, Akron, Ohio
- Central Point Preparatory Academy, Columbus, Ohio
- Cleveland Arts & Social Sciences Academy, Cleveland, Ohio
- Cleveland College Preparatory School, Cleveland, Ohio
- Cleveland Preparatory Academy, Cleveland, Ohio
- Columbus Arts & Technology Academy (K-12), Columbus, Ohio
- Columbus Bilingual Academy, Columbus, Ohio
- Columbus Humanities Arts & Technology Academy, Columbus, Ohio
- Constellation Schools: seven campuses in Cleveland, two in Elyria, one in Lorain, three in Parma, one in Parma Heights, serving K-12
- Cornerstone Academy, Westerville, Ohio
- East Academy, Cleveland, Ohio
- Eastland Preparatory Academy, Columbus, Ohio
- Euclid Preparatory School, Euclid, Ohio
- Fairfield Preparatory Academy, Hamilton, Ohio
- Foundation Academy, Mansfield, Ohio
- Franklin Learning Academy, Columbus, Ohio
- Hinckley Preparatory Academy, Hinckley, Ohio
- Innovative Career Academy, Cleveland, Ohio
- Lake Erie Preparatory School, Cleveland, Ohio
- Lincoln Park Academy (K-8), Cleveland, Ohio
- Lorain Bilingual Academy and Lorain Preparatory Schools (including High School), Lorain, Ohio
- Marion Preparatory Academy, Marion, Ohio
- Monroe Preparatory Academy, Sandusky, Ohio
- Montgomery Preparatory Academy, Dayton, Ohio
- Mount Auburn Preparatory Academy and Northside Preparatory Academy located in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Niles Preparatory Academy in Niles, Ohio
- North Columbus Preparatory Academy and South Columbus Preparatory Academies (German Village and Southfield), both in Columbus, Ohio
- Northcoast Academy; Northeast Ohio College Preparatory School; University Of Cleveland Preparatory School; and West Park Academy (K-8), all based in Cleveland, Ohio
- Northwest School of the Arts (K-8), located in Cleveland, Ohio
- Ohio College Preparatory School situated in Maple Heights, Ohio
- Parma Academy and Riverside Academy (in Cincinnati), as well as Sheffield Academy (Sheffield Village)
- Solon Academy and Strongsville Academy (Strongsville)
- Springfield Sports Academy (Springfield)
- K-8 STEAM Academies located in Warren and Warrensville Heights
- Toledo Preparatory Academies including Western Toledo and Western Toledo at Spring Meadows (Holland)
- Westlake Academy (Westlake)
- Wright Preparatory Academy (Canton)
- Youngstown Academy (Youngstown)
Michigan
- Barber Preparatory Academy located in Highland Park, Michigan
- Inkster Preparatory Academy situated in Inkster, Michigan
West Virginia
- Eastern Panhandle Preparatory Academy, based in Kearneysville, West Virginia, serving grades K-10
Online
- Academy With Community Partners, with headquarters in Mesa, Arizona
- Gateway Online Academy of Ohio, operating out of Independence, Ohio
- Michigan Online School, located in Gobles, Michigan
- OHDELA, based in Independence, Ohio
- Pathfinder Career Academy of Ohio, headquartered in Independence, Ohio
- VPA (Virtual Prep Academy) at Lucerne, situated in Lucerne Valley, California
- VPA of Florida, located in Kissimmee, Florida
- VPA of Indiana at Madison-Grant, based in Muncie, Indiana
- VPA of Washington, operating from Starbuck, Washington
- VPA of West Virginia, located in Kearneysville, West Virginia
- VPA of Arizona, headquartered in Mesa, Arizona
- VPA of Idaho at D91, based in Idaho Falls, Idaho
- VPA of Oklahoma, operating out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- VPA of Oregon, located in Prairie City, Oregon
- VPA of Wyoming, based in Diamondville, Wyoming