by Linda Lightner
The Oklahoman
November 17, 2015
An innovative Oklahoma City charter high school marks its 10th anniversary this year, growing from one man’s vision to become one of the nation’s top-performing high schools.
Harding Fine Arts Academy has been distinguished by numerous honors: a Top 10 high school in Oklahoma by US News & World Report, a Top 500 school nationwide by Newsweek, a National Blue-Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, A+ School by the Oklahoma Department of Education and the first high school in the nation to be named an OKA+ school by the Oklahoma A+ Schools organization at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Facts about the school:
- It is a Title I school, meaning it is federally recognized as serving a large population of socially and economically disadvantaged students. Admission is open to all ninth through 12 graders who live in the Oklahoma City metro area. As with all charter schools, it is tuition-free and non-selective.
- The school has a graduation rate of 98 percent, and more than 90 percent of graduates pursue a college education.
- As a charter school, HFAA receives no public funding for building maintenance and improvements and must rely on grants and donations.
And this school’s accolades come despite an average charter school law. The Sooner State’s charter school law ranks 22nd in the nation, earning a grade of C. Inequitable funding and a cap on where charters can open continue to be problematic for charter school growth.