{"id":28447,"date":"2025-09-15T22:44:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T03:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/09\/15\/south-chicago-charter-school-may-abruptly-close-stranding-250-students\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T22:44:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T03:44:04","slug":"south-chicago-charter-school-may-abruptly-close-stranding-250-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/09\/15\/south-chicago-charter-school-may-abruptly-close-stranding-250-students\/","title":{"rendered":"South Chicago charter school may abruptly close, stranding 250 students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to the Crisis<\/h2>\n

Chicago Public Schools informed parents Friday that Epic Academy, a small Southeast Side charter high school, plans to close and might not even last through this school year. Epic Charter School in South Chicago with about 250 students informed CPS on Aug. 21 that it was facing \u201cpersistent enrollment declines and rising operational costs,\u201d according to the district. The board of the privately managed, publicly funded school is expected to formally vote on the closure at its meeting Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The Impact on the Community<\/h2>\n

Epic teacher Andrew Escalante said the school was a tight-knit community where teachers stay for a long time and are deeply committed to serving the students and community. \u201cStaff were definitely really sad to hear this news,\u201d he said. \u201cStudents were also shocked. Overall, definitely a sense of disappointment and sadness.\u201d <\/p>\n

Background of Epic Academy<\/h2>\n

Students in a hallway after school at Epic Academy on the South Side on Monday. Epic was started in 2009 by former teachers who saw the charter school movement as an opportunity to create a strong school in an area that did not have many. Three years ago, it bought an old Catholic school that it planned to renovate and expand.
\nCandace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

Concerns Over Abrupt Closure<\/h2>\n

Several charter schools have closed in recent years, but, if it happened, this would be the first mid-year closure in recent years, maybe ever. \u201cThat would be incredibly detrimental to students and families and to the staff,\u201d said Jen Conant, who runs the charter division for the Chicago Teachers Union, which represents Epic teachers. \u201cCan you imagine the chaos?\u201d The Chicago school board voted in May to renew Epic\u2019s contract for two years. Conant and others are bewildered that the school district wasn\u2019t made aware that Epic was in trouble during the renewal process.<\/p>\n

Financial Struggles and Systemic Issues<\/h2>\n

Epic was started in 2009 by former teachers who saw the charter school movement as an opportunity to create a strong school in an area that did not have many. Yet its enrollment has been declining since the pandemic. CPS funds charter schools based on how many students they enroll. Epic operations director Victor Taylor said the school struggled when the district implemented a new high school assignment system in 2017, which he said prioritized district-run schools over charter schools. As a single-site charter school faced with enrollment declines, it has become more and more difficult to balance its books, said Taylor, who has worked there for 12 years. \u201cSo the funding is unfair, and the system itself is unfair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Efforts to Prevent Closure<\/h2>\n

Parents, he said, choose the school because it consistently has better graduation and college enrollment than nearby high schools. Taylor said juniors and seniors were planning to attend the board meeting Wednesday to try to prevent its closure.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The potential closure of Epic Academy highlights the challenges faced by charter schools, particularly those in areas with declining enrollment. The impact on students, families, and staff would be significant, and it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold.
\nSarah Karp covers education for WBEZ. Follow her on X @WBEZeducation and @sskedreporter.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n