The Shining Rock Classical Academy board at its Feb. 25 meeting voted unanimously to end grades 9-11 instruction effective June 30, 2026, and to close grade 12 after the fall 2026 semester, in front of an audience of more than 100 people. The high school had been consistently running a deficit, and the board argued that it has a fiduciary responsibility to move the organization in the right direction.
“We cannot continue operating the high school grades without jeopardizing the long-term financial stability of the entire organization,” said Chair Alyson Weimar in a Feb. 26 press release.
The board also announced the non-renewal of its rental contract with the Dellwood campus, where grades K-8 were held before the acquisition of the Russ Ave building and where high school instruction has taken place since 2022. The 10-year lease on the older property, owned by Lake Junaluska Assembly, is set to expire by the end of 2026. Meanwhile, the Dellwood campus has been increasingly expensive to operate, and its buildings have already reached the end of their lifespan, said Weimar last Wednesday…