Commonwealth Charter Academy
| Commonwealth Charter Academy | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
1 Innovation Way , 17110 | |
| Information | |
| School type | Public charter cyber school |
| Founded | August 11, 2003[1] |
| Faculty | 1170 teachers (2024) |
Teaching staff | 1170 |
| Grades | K–12 (2013) |
| Enrollment | 20,355 pupils (2024) |
| Language | English |
| Website | https://ccaeducate.me/ |
Commonwealth Charter Academy (previously named Commonwealth Connections Academy) is a large, public, cyber charter school.[2] The school serves all school-aged children in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regardless of where the child lives. The Academy's headquarters is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
History
[edit]When the School was originally approved it served Kindergarten through 8th grade pupils all across Pennsylvania.[3]
As of 2013, it was one of sixteen public cyber charters schools operating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[4]
As of 2016, the School operated seven additional branches, called Family Service Centers, across the Commonwealth: Andreas, Allentown, Harrisburg, Center City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cranberry, Scranton, and Williamsport.[5]
In 2016-17, there were 9,200 students enrolled.[6] By 2023, enrollment was 22,000 pupils in grades kindergarten through 12th, making it the largest public school in the United States by enrollment.[7] The Capital Area Intermediate Unit IU15 provides the school with a wide variety of services like special education for disabled students and hearing, speech and visual disability services and professional development for staff and faculty.
Spending
[edit]In 2015-16, the school spent $3.2 million and in 2016-17 $4.4 million in taxpayer dollars on advertising, the most of all of Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools, through sponsorships, ads in print, TV, radio, Internet and outdoor marketing.[6]
In 2025, it was reported that Commonwealth Charter Academy spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on cars, dining, and entertainment, with little transparency.[8] Commonwealth Charter Academy responded to this report in a letter to the Pennsylvania General Assembly calling out several discrepancies.[9]
References
[edit]- ↑ PDE, ED Names and Addresses - School information, 2014
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2014). "EdNA - Charter School". Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ↑ Stan Rapp, COMMONWEALTH CONNECTIONS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL Cyber-Charter School Application, October 1, 2002
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, PA ED Directory - Charter Schools, 2013
- ↑ Commonwealth Charter Academy (July 2016). "CCA Family Service Centers".
- 1 2 Stephanie Hacke and Mary Niederberger (August 29, 2017). "The Charter Effect: Pa. charter schools spend millions of public dollars in advertising to attract students". PublicSource. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (October 15, 2018). "Commonwealth Connections Academy Charter School Performance report fast facts".
- ↑ Hanna, Maddie (January 27, 2025). "Pa.'s largest cyber charter spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on cars, dining, and entertainment, a new report says". PublicSource. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
- ↑ Commonwealth Charter Academy (January 30, 2025). "CCA Letter to General Assembly" (PDF). Commonwealth Charter Academy.
