The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 25%.
Original Research by School Decision on Accel Academy
ACCEL Academy serves as the alternative school within the Boone County school district, serving students in grades six through twelve. The school’s designation as an alternative school is the single most important fact for any family evaluating it, as these programs are designed for students who have not succeeded in a traditional school setting. The enrollment profile confirms this: the student body is small, and the grade distribution is heavily weighted toward the upper grades, with the largest group in twelfth grade and only a handful in the middle school grades. A majority of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school is located in Burlington, the county seat of Boone County. Burlington is an unincorporated area with a historic core centered on a Publick Square, but it functions as a suburban community near Cincinnati and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The population has grown steadily over recent decades, and the school district itself has responded to that growth, opening a new elementary school in the Hebron corridor to handle overcrowding. The district has also adopted a strategic plan emphasizing career pathways and college readiness, which may shape offerings for all secondary students, including those at ACCEL Academy. Housing in the area is at a price point above both the state and national medians.
What can be said about academic performance at ACCEL Academy is limited. The state testing data for the 2024-25 school year, as reported, is almost entirely suppressed. In eighth grade English language arts, a single reported rate shows about a quarter of students scoring at the proficient level or above. In mathematics, science, and social studies, results are listed as suppressed, which in a small alternative school typically reflects that very small group sizes prevent the state from publishing the data. The overall proficiency index for the school, derived from the one reported rate, places ACCEL in the bottom quartile relative to the two other districts in Boone County, a comparison that should be interpreted with caution given that the index is built on very thin data. No graduation rate was available for this school.
The school environment and access data are thin. Information on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance was not provided. This is a meaningful gap for any family considering the school, as the conditions and supports within an alternative school are often as important as test scores. A parent considering ACCEL Academy would want to visit, talk with the principal about the school’s behavioral and academic programs, and understand how students are assisted in making progress toward graduation or a credential. The district’s emphasis on career and technical education may be a relevant topic for that conversation.
In short, ACCEL Academy is a small alternative school in a growing suburban county. The available data does not support a verdict on its quality. The nearly universal suppression of state test results limits what can be known about academic achievement at the school level, and the lack of information on discipline and attendance patterns is a notable gap. A family considering ACCEL should seek direct information from the school about its program structure, student support services, and transition pathways back to the comprehensive high schools or to postsecondary opportunities.
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