Charter school founder and pioneer Chuck Stockwell dies

July 12, 2025
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Chuck Stockwell, a pioneer in the charter school movement both in Livingston County and statewide, passed away July 6.

Stockwell, a Brighton resident, founded Livingston Developmental Academy in Hartland Township in 1996, just two years after the first charter schools in Michigan opened.

Chuck Stockwell

Prior to that, he had worked in traditional K-12 education for 25 years as a teacher, ISD program developer and consultant, and administrator.

In 2001, the school was renamed Charyl Stockwell Academy in the memory of Chuck and Shelley Stockwell’s daughter, Charyl, who passed away from a serious brain and spinal-cord illness.

Charyl Stockwell Academy started as a K-8 school but later added a high school campus in Brighton, and is now one of the highest-performing charter schools in the state. The school now has 1,100 students in grades K-12.

Chuck Stockwell also founded a Brighton-based company called CS Partners to help manage charter schools across the state.

Some years back, Chuck explained what prompted him to want to start a charter school.

“My daughter was my inspiration,” he said. “I wanted to open a school that would be a safe place for her to grow and learn and I figured if it was a school that was a safe place for her, it would be a safe place for all children.”

Stockwell retired from CS Partners in 2019 but continued to have a voice in the charter school movement.

Chuck Stockwell and his daughter, Charyl
The Livingston Post

The Livingston Post is the only locally owned, all-digital information and opinion site in Livingston County, Mich. It was launched by award-winning journalists who were laid off from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus by Gannett Co. Inc. in 2009.

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