New tuition-free public charter high school set to take space in Annapolis Mall
A new public charter school, New Village Academy, is being built in a former department store inside the Annapolis Mall.
The tuition-free public charter high school will be unlike any in the region, with students as the focus, school officials say. The school is scheduled to open at the former Lord & Taylor space on the upper level of the mall in the fall of 2026.
"They need to feel like the place where they're doing this work accepts them and they feel connected in that space," said founding principal Romey Pittman.
Students will learn through community projects, apprenticeships, and real-world problem solving, which is why school leaders chose the mall as the location.
Applications are open now through January 15. More than 40 students are already enrolled, with 168 to enroll for the first year.
"This is going to be a hub of community activity," said Marcus Jones, the Board President of New Village Academy.
What makes this charter school different?
Pittman, an educator with more than two decades of experience in innovative and alternative learning models, designed the school with input from a group of Annapolis High School students.
"Only about 25% of high school kids say they actually like school," Pittman said. "We're really aiming to change that and get kids excited about learning again, and give them the opportunity to guide and individualize their own educational pathway."
The students won't be in traditional classrooms, but "crews" of 14.
"They're in the same crew from 9th grade to 12th grade, with the same advisor, same teacher, and parents are very involved," parent Morgan Stroud said.
Stroud said this school model will give her four children the autonomy that isn't provided at traditional high schools.
"Because they'll have a voice in the projects that they do, and being able to do things around the community of Annapolis," Stroud said.
"Kids being engaged and really being able to own their learning, this is an opportunity to take that to the next level," Jones said.
Learn more about New Village Academy here.