Ohio Awards $20.7M in Grants to Expand High-Performing Community Schools

Ohio officials announced $20.7 million in grants aimed at expanding access to high-performing public community schools, according to a Sept. 11, 2026, release from Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen D. Dackin.

The funding is divided into two federal streams. Four schools will share $6.4 million through the U.S. Department of Education's Charter Schools Program Grant, supporting expansion of existing models or creation of new schools. Separately, nine community schools will receive $14.3 million in Charter School Facilities Incentive Grants for facility upgrades or expansion.

Both grants form part of a five-year, $100 million initiative that will be awarded through three competitive funding rounds, with additional funds expected in future rounds.

Among the Charter Schools Program recipients, Explorers Academy of Science and Technology in Toledo plans to grow to grades K-12 and add 200 seats over two years. Towpath Trail High School in Akron, a dropout prevention and recovery school, will open a Youngstown satellite campus centered on workforce pathways in construction, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and business. North Bend STEM Academy in Cincinnati will open a K-5 STEM school with plans to extend to grade 8, while Forward Girls Leadership Academy in Twinsburg will launch serving grade 9 and expand toward grades 9-12.

Facilities grant recipients named in the release include schools in Columbus, Toledo, Westerville, Dayton, Cleveland, and other communities. The U.S. Department of Education first signaled plans to invest in Ohio community schools during a visit by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon the previous September.