SALINEVILLE – The Indian Academy online school is seeing significant growth with its enrollment nearing 100 pupils.

The Southern Local School District established the K-12 program during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to continue education when school buildings were closed; however, evolving needs over time prompted officials to expand services and support youth both inside and outside the district. Today, the Indian Academy is open to any student residing in the State of Ohio.

Director Eric Sampson informed officials at the Dec. 9 Southern Local Board of Education session that the figures included students who have attended Southern Local and surrounding schools, while enrollment has surged.

“We are rolling right along and are currently at 86 students. We’ve had some students from elementary to high school come over and many of those have medical issues, such as anxiety,” he said. “There are students we have either kept from going online or we brought back from other districts or other online schools. We also have open enrollment students, so those kids are from outside of Southern Local, and we have some that were online in the past. Enrollment has grown.”

He continued that he began in a third-floor office at the Williams Collaborative Building in Salineville but has since relocated to the second floor, which provides ample space for meetings, tutoring, and orientation.

“I thought we’d be at 60 by the end of the year, but we are at 86 and we have another semester to go,” Sampson commented. “I think it’s a great thing that was created and it’s doing exceptionally well for the district.”

The district had obtained an Individual Record Number (IRN), or a unique identifier assigned to educational institutions for online schooling, to operate during and after the pandemic but leaders wanted to offer students an alternative educational resource. Sampson was formally named as director in September after serving at Southern Local Jr./Sr. High School for 18 years. Initial reports at that time showed enrollment already had doubled to 37 and was still growing, while a majority of the students were at the middle and high school levels.

Indian Academy utilizes Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) courses while district teachers grade tests and guide the students. Pupils have the capability to work at home but have access to teachers online, or they may visit the Williams Collaboration Building to work with Sampson and an academic coach. Students may work online at their own convenience but must obtain 910 hours of educational time throughout the school year. Interested parents may contact Sampson, who will enroll and set schedules, then upload them to the VLA, after which students may begin at any time.

Additionally, students may enroll at any time through open enrollment and also are able to take traditional courses at Southern Local Jr./Sr. High School, such as band or agriculture, plus they may play sports at Southern barring any transfer rules. Indian Academy also has a career-tech option with an online welding credential and students may obtain career-based learning at SLHS. For more information, contact Sampson at (330) 679-2343, Ext. 4208, or email eric.sampson@slindians.org.