What a Year Can Build

Ribbon Cutting with Aurora Chamber of Commerce

A letter to the partners who made it possible

Less than a year ago, Oakwood Academy was mostly a conviction, a belief that Aurora needed a school where academic excellence and formation weren't competing priorities but inseparable ones. Today, as our first year comes to a close, we want to share with you what has happened because you've invested in this and you deserve an honest update.

This isn't a fundraising appeal. It's an account of where we've been, where we stand, and where we're headed.

Reflections on Year One

Opening a PreK–12 school from scratch is not a modest undertaking. When we welcomed our first students in August 2025, we carried all the excitement and all the uncertainty that comes with starting something new. What we found out quickly is that the foundation was stronger than we expected.

Our families showed up ready, our teachers showed up committed, and our students showed us almost immediately that Oakwood was meeting a real need in this community.

We've seen students grow in their academics, their confidence, their faith, and their sense of belonging. We've watched teachers build the kind of relationships with students that go far beyond content delivery. We've held chapel services where the presence of God was unmistakable in a room full of young people.

None of that shows up on a spreadsheet. But it's the heartbeat of what we're building.

Our Early Learning Center opened serving ages 2 through 4 and has already expanded to welcome children as young as one, a direct response to demand from families in our community. When parents want their kids with you from the very beginning, that tells you something.

Accreditation: A Milestone Worth Understanding

One of the most significant developments of our first year is our progress toward Cognia accreditation. Oakwood Academy has received an accreditation recommendation, now pending final commission approval.

For those less familiar with the process, this is worth pausing on. Cognia is one of the most widely respected accrediting bodies in education, and earning an accreditation recommendation in a school's first year of operation is uncommon. It reflects the seriousness with which we've approached every dimension of Oakwood, from curriculum and instruction to governance and institutional planning.

This is not a box we checked. Pursuing Cognia accreditation represents a commitment to continuous improvement, external accountability, and the kind of organizational health that ensures Oakwood will be here for the long term. It tells families, donors, and the community that we are building something meant to last.

We'll share more as the process moves toward completion.

Looking Ahead: 2026–27 and Beyond

If year one was about proving the vision could work, year two is about building the infrastructure to sustain and grow it.

Our enrollment continues to grow. We opened with approximately 60 students and are planning for growth toward and beyond 80 heading into 2026–27. Every family that joins Oakwood strengthens what we're building.

Our athletic programs are expanding. The Warhawks compete through the MCSAA, and we're building out opportunities for students to develop physically, compete with character, and represent Oakwood with excellence.

Our academic partnerships are deepening. Through dual credit relationships with OTC, Crowder, and Evangel, our secondary students have real opportunities to get ahead academically while remaining in a kingdom-minded environment.

And we're investing in the operational and financial infrastructure a school like this requires. Year one was, by necessity, a sprint. Year two is about building the systems and planning capacity that will carry Oakwood through the next decade.

Why Your Partnership Matters

We'll be direct. Oakwood Academy is young, and we're past the point of being an idea, but we're not yet at the point where momentum alone carries us forward. Right now, every partnership, whether it's a gift, a prayer, or an introduction made on our behalf, has an outsized impact on what this school becomes.

You're not supporting an institution that would exist without you. You're building one.

The families walking through our doors are finding something they'd been looking for. The students in our classrooms are being formed in ways that will shape the rest of their lives. The teachers pouring into this work are doing it because they believe what we believe: that Christ-centered education done with excellence and conviction produces young people of extraordinary character and capability.

Strong roots, bold faith, lasting impact. That's not just a motto. It's what we see taking shape every day, and your generosity is what makes it possible.

With gratitude,

Chris Haynes

Head of School, Oakwood Academy