Akron Public Schools

Located:	Akron OH
Superintendent:	David W. James
Students:	23,000
Staff:	1,300
Schools:	48, pre-K through Grade 12
Founded:	1847
Budget:	$292 million in FY2009
Website:	http://www.akronschools.com

Akron Public Schools is a school district serving students in Akron, Ohio, USA, and nearby communities. It is located in the northeastern part of Ohio, less than 40 miles south of Cleveland and 20 miles north of Canton. The district includes, as of 2009-10, 7 high schools, 10 middle schools and 34 elementary schools. Approximately 23,000 students are enrolled.

Community learning centers

Akron Public Schools is undergoing reconstruction of its buildings. Through a partnership with the city of Akron and OSFC, schools in the Akron Public Schools district will be rebuilt or remodeled to become community learning centers by the 2020-2021 school year. These are schools by day and community learning centers by night and weekends.

Seventeen CLCs are complete and another seven are in the design or construction stage. The City of Akron is responsible for scheduling the use of these buildings after school hours.^[1]

Programs offered

Akron Early College High School - Students earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree or up to 72 hours toward a bachelor's degree. 100% of the student body is dual enrolled at both AECHS and The University of Akron. The school serves students in grades 9 - 12. Students apply for admission in the 8th grade, and all students begin college coursework in the 9th grade. High school classrooms are located in three buildings on the campus of The University of Akron.

National Inventor's Hall of Fame STEM High School is Akron's newest school. It opened in fall 2012 and houses 750 students in grades 9-12. The school continues the mission begun by the STEM middle school with hands on learning emphasizing the use of technology and inquiry learning. The school is located in the former Central Hower High School across from the University of Akron with close ties to the university. Akron U has pledged millions of dollars in scholarships to be directed at Akron Public School Graduates, particularly from the STEM program.

National Inventor's Hall of Fame STEM Middle School opened in fall 2009 and houses grades 5-8. The school specializes in hands on learning and emphasizes the use of technology and inquiry learning and will serve as a pilot for teaching practices to be used at the district's other schools.

International Baccalaureate — the IB program at Firestone High School is a rigorous two-year curriculum beginning in the 11th grade meant to help students become internationally minded learners.

Career Education — students can choose from more than 30 two-year, accredited, occupational training programs that meet industry standards and get graduates ready for college or jobs.

Visual & Performing Arts — nearly 700 students participate in visual and performing arts programs at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts (grades 4-8) and Firestone High School. Firestone students can earn an arts endorsement on their diploma and transcript. Students perform at concerts and dance recitals and in music and theatre programs.

College Access — Students can earn a high school diploma and college credit through the Seniors to Sophomores program, or known as S2S, high school seniors can earn a diploma while earning 24 college credit hours at the University of Akron.

Schools

High schools

• Akron Early College High School
• Buchtel Community Learning Center
• East Community Learning Center
• Ellet High School
• Firestone High School
• Garfield High School
• Kenmore High School
• National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM High School
• North High School

Middle schools

The National Inventors Hall of Fame, which houses the STEM Middle School

• Bridges
• East CLC 7-8 Campus
• Hyre CLC
• Innes CLC
• Jennings CLC
• Kent
• Litchfield
• Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts
• National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM Middle School

Elementary schools

• Arnold CLC
• Barber CLC
• Barrett
• Bettes
• Betty Jane CLC
• Bridges
• Case
• Crouse CLC
• Findley CLC
• Firestone Park
• Forest Hill CLC
• Glover CLC
• Harris
• Hatton CLC
• Hill CLC
• King
• Lawndale (scheduled to close at end of 2015-16 school year)
• Leggett
• Mason CLC
• McEbright
• Pfeiffer
• Portage Path
• Resnik CLC
• Rimer CLC
• Ritzman CLC
• Robinson CLC
• Salem CLC
• Schumacher
• Seiberling
• Smith (scheduled to close at end of 2015-16 school year)
• Voris CLC
• Windemere

Specialty schools

• Adult Learning
• Akron Alternative Academy
• Akron Digital Academy
• Akron Early College High School
• Akron Opportunity Center
• Akron Preparatory School {Ican Network}
• Bridges
• Evening High School
• Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts
• National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM Middle School
• Olympus
• School of Practical Nursing

Schools that have been closed^[2]

• Central High School - built in 1884 - sat on the current site of Central-Hower High School until it was demolished and replaced in 1973. It was known as Akron High School until South was built in 1911, then it was renamed Central.

Better

• Central-Hower High School (123 S. Forge St.) was closed at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. It is currently being used for the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM High School.
• Crosby closed in 2004 and is now used as the Akron Alternative School.
• Goodyear Middle School closed and was combined with East High School once construction was completed. It is being used as swing school for Seiberling Elementary while the new school is built.
• Grace Elementary School became an antiques mall for a few years, now demolished. The land now houses a car dealership.
• Fairlawn Elementary School was demolished in 2006 and replaced by Judith Resnik Community Learning Center.
• Erie Island, Stewart, and Lincoln elementary schools closed at the end of the 2008-09 school year.

Essex Elementry school Closed 2011-12 School year

• Heminger Elementary closed in 2008
• Berret Elementary closed in 2007 and is now called Bridges, a program with children with disabilities.
• Hower Vocational High School (130 W. Exchange St.) - named for M. Otis Hower (1858-1916), an Akron manufacturing leader. APS opened trade classes in Perkins Elementary in 1927 and renamed the building for Hower. It housed the Central-Hower student body after their merger in 1975 until the new building was completed, it was then demolished in 1978.^[3]
• Lane Elementary was demolished in 1980. Helen Arnold Community Learning Center, which opened in the fall of 2007, was built near the former school to serve students in the neighborhood.
• Margaret Park Elementary closed in 2007.
• Perkins Technology Middle School, Three buildings were constructed (1872, 1920, 1954). The second one was renamed Hower Vocational School. The original building was torn down in 1949.
• Riedinger and Goodrich middle schools closed in 2009.
• South High School (1055 East Ave.) closed at the end of the 1979-1980 school year. It reopened in 1994 as an intermediate visual and performing arts school, renamed George C. Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts.
• Thomastown Elementary School now houses the Haunted Schoolhouse.
• Thornton Junior High School was built in 1911 as the former South High School until the new South High opened in 1955. It closed in 1997 and was demolished in 2002.
• West High School (315 S. Maple St.) was built in 1914 and closed around 1953 to be reopened as West Jr. High School.^[4]
• West Jr. High School opened around 1953 in the former West HS. It closed in 1980 and later became senior citizen living apartments.
• Perkins Middle School is occupied with Litchfield Middle School Students.

References

2. http://www.akronschools.com/dotAsset/13846.pdf
3. http://www.howervocational.org/HowerHistory.html
4. http://www.oldohioschools.com/summit_county.htm

External links

• APS website