08/15/2026
We’ve got a few seats left in first, second, and secondary grades!
Once, a storm washed thousands of starfish onto a beach. The stranded, beautiful creatures began to dry out and die under the morning sun. A child ran along the shore, picking them up one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. A skeptical onlooker pointed out that there were too many to save, asking, “You can’t possibly save them all. What difference does it make?” The child threw another one into the water and replied, “It made a difference to that one.”
That story has been weighing heavily on our hearts. There may be a family in our community who is searching for a better educational choice for their child, but the cost of tuition has created a barrier. Many East Academy families are able to attend because they applied for and received a School Choice scholarship earlier in the year. Many families never applied for a scholarship because they didn’t expect to need another educational option. Others applied but were not accepted.
We don’t believe that should automatically mean missing the opportunity for a child to thrive in a different environment. For the 2026–2027 school year, East Academy is introducing the Cultivating Academic Excellence Scholarship, a limited scholarship opportunity for qualifying students in Kindergarten through 12th grade who are not currently receiving a Step Up For Students or AAA scholarship.
This is partial tuition assistance, and families selected for an award will still make an investment toward their child’s tuition. For some families, the remaining monthly cost may be comparable to—or even less than—what they are currently spending on after-school care. At a reduced cost, their child gets something much bigger than childcare. They get a learning day in a smaller environment where teachers know their name, they can easily access personalized instruction, and deficits or learning barriers can be more quickly identified and addressed than in an overcrowded classroom. They get educators who notice when they’re struggling—and when they’re capable of more. They get structure, accountability, relationships, high expectations, and a place where we work very hard to make sure children don’t simply get through school, but grow through it.
This scholarship is about opening a door to possibility. Maybe there is a child in our community who needs what we offer, but whose family simply didn’t think East Academy was financially possible this year. Maybe there’s a mom or dad who had a very rough school year last year, and their heart is breaking thinking about that drop-off line on Tuesday morning. Maybe there is a parent reading this today who has been thinking, “I wish we had another option.”
We’ve been working hard to find a way to help. We can’t promise that we can help every family, and scholarship funds and available seats are limited. We can promise that we are willing to look at each application thoughtfully and ask one important question: Could East Academy make a meaningful difference for this child?
East Academy sprouted from a desire to transform the lives of children, families, and teachers yearning for a happier, healthier learning space that better fits their needs. This is our mission field. We believe education works best as a partnership. Families invest in their children. We invest in them, too. Together, we cultivate something that can change the trajectory of a child’s future.
Applications for the East Academy Cultivating Academic Excellence scholarship will be open on a rolling basis.First round of approvals will be notified 8/10/26.
If you’d like to apply, please complete the application form linked below.
https://forms.gle/uC2dutJAXKDy1bCh7
If you’ve been wondering whether East Academy could be an option for your child, this may be the opportunity you didn’t know you had.
Come talk to us. We’d love to learn about your child.
Because we may not be able to change everything for every child, but we can make a difference to that one.
