Original Research by School Decision on Quaker Preparatory Academy
Quaker Preparatory Academy is a small, tuition-free statewide online charter serving kindergarten through eighth grade, founded relatively recently and sponsored by New Philadelphia City Schools. The school operates as a fully remote, computer-based program available to families across Ohio, a distinctive choice for parents seeking an alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar schooling.
The enrollment is small, with students distributed across the K-8 range. The student body is predominantly white, with a small but present share of students identifying as two or more races, and smaller numbers of Black and Hispanic students. Demographic breakdowns for free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special student populations such as English learners and students with IEPs were not reported, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about the composition of its support services and whether they match their child's needs.
Academic performance data were not available in the sources reviewed. This gap reflects in part the school's recent founding; a parent considering enrollment should request from the school its own assessment results, progress tracking methods, and any third-party evaluations of academic outcomes. The school publicly reported that it has begun a curriculum review across all grade levels and subject areas, with an action plan for refinement underway. This signals that instructional changes are underway, which a prospective family may want to understand in detail before enrollment.
The school provides each student with a computer, tutoring services, an academic coach, and access to online courses. There is no tuition cost. Operating as a remote school means no commute, no brick-and-mortar facility to visit, and no on-site peer environment in the traditional sense; instead, a family's school experience centers on online instruction and support accessed from home. This suits some families' schedules and preferences and is a fundamentally different setting from a traditional school building.
Among Tuscarawas County's districts, chronic absenteeism at Quaker Preparatory Academy falls below the midpoint, a favorable indicator relative to peers. Per-pupil spending is in the lower range compared to other county districts, a reflection of the school's charter model and absence of a local tax base or capital facilities. This lower spending does not necessarily indicate weaker programming, but a parent may want to ask how the school allocates resources to instruction, support services, and technology to understand where dollars go.
The school is legally a community school under Ohio law and is among the county's dozen districts. Its existence as a relatively new fully-online K-8 option represents a structural choice for families: parents enrolling are committing to remote schooling, not exploring a traditional district alternative. Understanding the school's curriculum, academic expectations, support systems, and how it measures student progress would be essential steps before deciding if this model serves a child's learning style and family circumstances.
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