By any metric, the charter schools in Michigan managed by National Heritage Academies (NHA) are the embodiment of achievement and accountability.
NHA was founded by Grand Rapids businessman J.C. Huizenga in 1995. He held the belief that every child should have the opportunity to receive a great education, no matter their ZIP code. His vision was a network of charter schools that would combine rigorous academics with character education, and that would be held accountable to produce results. Huizenga’s dream became a reality when the doors to NHA’s first school opened at Excel Charter Academy in the fall of 1995.
Almost three decades and 58 Michigan schools later (100 nationally), NHA has combined rigorous academics with character education to become a national model demonstrating the power of educational opportunity in improving student learning outcomes. Consider the evidence:
- A nine-year study by University of Michigan researchers showed that students in NHA charter schools performed significantly better than students in neighboring traditional public schools, particularly in math.
- A separate study from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO)showed that students in NHA charter schools gain an additional 69 days of learning a year in math and 48 days of learning in reading, compared to similar students in traditional public schools.
- Six of NHA’s Michigan schools (Achieve Charter Academy, Canton Charter Academy, Eagle Crest Charter Academy, Cross Creek Charter Academy, Pembroke Academy, Chandler Woods Charter Academy) and one in North Carolina (Greensboro Academy) have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education – the highest honor a public school in America can receive.
- In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, 12 of the top 50 middle schools in Michigan were charter schools managed by NHA.
One of the most remarkable success stories at NHA is Pembroke Academy in Detroit, which opened in 2018 with a focus on true grade-level proficiency. The 2024 M-STEP results show that not only does Pembroke have far and away the highest M-STEP scores in the city – it has some of the highest in the state. In seventh grade, 92.3% of Pembroke’s students are proficient in ELA. In eighth grade, it’s 88.9%.
The success of Pembroke is born out of intentionality – open, transparent communication and partnerships, Principal Salwa Kinsey said, adding, “For us, the focus has always been true grade-level proficiency. How do we close achievement gaps, and how do we keep students focused on learning?
“It first starts with building trust,” she said, noting that one-on-one conversations with parents from the first day they step on campus helps foster those open and transparent conversations about the individual needs of students. From those early conversations, parent-staff-student relationships bloom.
The nation is taking note. In 2024, Pembroke Academy became the first Detroit school since 2001 to be named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
And recognizing that morals and ethics are just as important as academics, NHA puts an emphasis on teaching character education that produces students prepared for success in every aspect of life, including college and careers.
Olympic gold-medal swimmer Allison Schmitt, who attended Canton Charter Academy, is one such NHA graduate. She’s visited the school several times since graduation to visit with the next generation of Canton Charter Academy students.
Like all charter schools in Michigan, NHA charter schools are free, public, and open to all. Each school has a public authorizer and a public school board that provide oversight and accountability.
Christy Spurrier has been both an NHA parent and school leader, and she knows first-hand that the NHA model works.
“That is what I wanted for my kids, and it’s what our society needs,” she said. “These values are woven throughout the course of the day, and from the beginning, I believed in what NHA set out to do. We offer a choice in public education. I’ve had the opportunity to watch students grow up and witness them becoming productive members of society. The education provided at NHA played a vital role in that.”
