Summit Academy renovates Illinois Avenue building for K-8 students

LORAIN — Summit Academy has consolidated its buildings in Lorain. The public charter school has moved all its classes to its space on Illinois Avenue. Previously, it housed classes at 2140 E. 36th St. and 346 Illinois Ave. Summit Academy is a public community school primarily serving students on the autism spectrum or with attention deficits. The Illinois Avenue building was the secondary school while the East 36th Street was elementary students. Now, the Illinois Avenue building will serve kindergarten through eighth grade and anticipates gradually adding high school students. The East 36th Street property was leased from the Cleveland Catholic Diocese. "Our expectation is to begin that process next school year by opening classrooms to ninth grade students, reintroducing 10th graders the following year, and so forth," Summit Academy Management CEO John Guyer said in a news release. Classes resume Jan. 21. Summit Academy management invested just over $2 million toward renovations, with another $1 million in renovations needed. Those will include renovations to the building's back annex including a new restroom, an additional entrance, reconfiguring classroom and office walls, HVAC updates and a new playground, according to Director of Communications Denise Henry. The playground is scheduled to be done in March and the annex completed in June. Summit Academy previously closed the Illinois Avenue School — which served middle and high-school age students — during the 2023-24 school year. That same school year, Summit Academy Community School for Alternative Learners-Lorain expanded from just elementary to include middle school students. Those interested in contributing to Summit Academy's capital projects at the Illinois Avenue building can contribute to the Summit Educational Foundation at summitacademies.org/donate/.