Commonwealth Charter Academy, Pennsylvania’s largest cyber charter school, is expanding into Philadelphia with a 32,000-square-foot site at the city’s Navy Yard, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
The move marks a significant physical expansion for the online school, which is growing its real estate presence in the state’s largest city. Cyber charter schools operate primarily online but maintain brick-and-mortar locations for administrative offices, testing and student support services.
The expansion comes as cyber charter schools continue to draw students from traditional public school districts across Pennsylvania, including the School District of Philadelphia. Under state law, a student’s home district must pay tuition to the cyber charter the student enrolls in, a funding arrangement that has drawn criticism from district officials and school boards statewide who say it strains local budgets…