Two Cleveland charter schools have been selected to receive a portion of a $100 million federal grant that Ohio charter schools are slated to receive. Menlo Park Academy and FORWARD Girls Leadership Academy are among 13 schools statewide that will share nearly $20 million in the first round of funding.
Federal funding details
The U.S. Department of Education announced the grant program in September 2025, when Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited Columbus. The program will ultimately distribute about $50 million to new charter schools and $47.5 million to improve existing charter schools across Ohio. Two additional rounds of funding are planned over the next three years.
How the schools will use the money
FORWARD Girls Leadership Academy, a newly opened all‑girls high school in the Union‑Miles Park neighborhood, received an undisclosed portion of the grant. The school, founded by longtime Cleveland public‑school principal Luciana Gilmore, opened in August with roughly 50 ninth‑grade students and plans to expand to serve grades 9‑12. Gilmore said the funding will help the academy develop future scientists, innovators and community leaders.
Menlo Park Academy, an established school on Cleveland’s West Side that serves gifted students, received a $1.3 million award. Superintendent Deborah Zeffren said the school will use the money to build a makerspace—a STEM‑focused classroom equipped with 3D printers, robotics kits and other technology—to better educate its 300‑student enrollment.
Local support and partnerships
In addition to the federal grant, Gilmore secured an investment from FutureReady Cleveland, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding charter‑school options in the city. Both schools view the funding as a boost to educational choice and a way to strengthen family and community outcomes.
“These funds will really help us educate our children the way they need to be educated,” Zeffren said of the announcement. “It was really exciting.”
What this means for Cleveland families
The grant underscores the Trump administration’s commitment to expanding school‑choice options and empowering parents to select the educational environment that best fits their children’s needs. By directing federal resources to local charter schools, the administration aims to foster competition, improve academic outcomes and give families more control over their children’s education.
Both schools plan to use the new resources to enhance curricula, expand enrollment and provide state‑of‑the‑art learning spaces that prepare students for college and careers. For Cleveland families seeking alternatives to traditional public schools, the funding represents a tangible step toward broader educational opportunities.
Original reporting: Signal Cleveland — read the source article.
