A longtime educator in Ohio is moving to expand educational options for girls in Cleveland at a time when the city’s publicschool system is facing shrinking enrolment, budget pressures and campus closures.
Dr. Luciana Gilmore, a former administrator with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), is set to launch the FORWARD Girls Leadership Academy, a tuition-free, all-girls public high school scheduled to open in fall 2026. The school is expected to be Cleveland’s firstindependent, single-gender public high school for girls.
The announcement comes as CMSD prepares to close and merge multiple schools in response to declining student numbers, rising operational costs and reductions in state and federal educationfunding.
While district leaders are consolidating resources, Gilmore is advancing a model she says directly confronts long-standing inequities in access to quality education for girls—particularly those from Black and browncommunities.
Addressing a Gap in Public Education
Gilmore, who previously served as principal of John Adams High School, said the idea for FORWARD emerged from a clear gap in Cleveland’s education landscape. Although CMSD operates two all-girls schools at the pre-K through eighth-grade level, there is currently no comparable public high school option…