National Heritage Academies, Inc. (NHA) is a for-profit education management organization headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As of the 2019-20 school year, NHA operates 88 charter schools in nine states: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New York, North Carolina, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, and Wisconsin. NHA is the largest charter school operator in Michigan and one of the largest charter school operators in the United States. NHA schools are prominent among charter institutions for employing the brick and mortar or traditional school concept. It has been accused of profiting from tax-payers money and is in the process of selling over two-thirds of its schools, financed by taxes to a new corporation which will become its real estate arm.

History

NHA was formed in 1995 by entrepreneur J. C. Huizenga.

Operations

In 2015, National Heritage Academies managed charter schools enrolled over 58,000 students on a vendor operated school basis. NHA managed charter schools are publicly funded and charge no tuition. They are authorized by state-approved institutions such as universities and school boards, and therefore have no geographic boundaries. The schools focus on college preparedness and generally serve students from kindergarten through eighth grade, with some schools also offering pre-kindergarten. Unlike most charter school companies in Michigan, NHA purchases the school buildings, including those that were built from public money.

Academics

According to a 2017 study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, students in NHA schools were found to show improved spring-to-spring academic growth in the subjects of reading and math, compared with their traditional public school peers. NHA schools use the NWEA test as a measure of student performance. The Northwest Evaluation Association has instituted an assessment process for both mathematics and reading. This computerized assessment is administered to provide data on students' growth in the fields of math and reading.

All Schools

Colorado

Georgia

Indiana

Louisiana

Michigan

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Wisconsin

Resources