Beacon Academy of Nevada is expanding its impact, doubling the enrollment capacity of its West Side campus with support from a newly secured loan through the Nevada Facilities Fund.
As so much uncertainty exists right now in the national landscape about education, the NVFF is an incredible example of pragmatic, bipartisan, local solutions that meet the needs of schools and students on the ground.
Beacon Academy’s loan through the Nevada Facilities Fund will be used to purchase the school’s West Side campus, located at 7360 W. Flamingo Rd., along with an adjacent property to meet surging demand. This expansion will double the school’s enrollment capacity from 600 to 1,200 students, opening the door for more students who need the academic and social support provided by the school. Beacon also partners closely with families, and provides personalized career and college counseling to ensure every student has a clear path forward. With the campus expansion, the school’s vital work can grow, bringing Beacon’s unique model to twice as many students.
“We are deeply grateful to the Nevada Facilities Fund for turning our vision of campus expansion into a reality. Your support directly empowers our mission to serve and uplift at-risk students, and our expanded campus will allow us to serve more students and ensure they are ready for post-graduation success,” said Mary Kay Bellinger, Executive Director of Operations for Beacon Academy of Nevada.
Beacon Academy’s unique model provides high school students who are at-risk for not graduating with an innovative, flexible education that supports graduation and concrete plans for their futures. Through individualized education, strong family engagement, and comprehensive support services, Beacon Academy students can address the significant challenges they have faced while ensuring they are on track for graduation and building plans for their future success.
“Beacon Academy of Nevada gives students a chance to succeed and leave high school prepared for their next step and ready to take on college, work, and adult life. The school is a critical part of our educational ecosystem, and we are proud to work with them to expand their impact and serve more students,” said Jana Wilcox Lavin, CEO of Opportunity 180. “We are grateful for the support of Governor Lombardo, Treasurer Conine, and the State Infrastructure Bank in supporting these innovative, growing public schools as they serve more students, and the State Public Charter School Authority for supporting Beacon Academy’s vision for their students.”
For schools to qualify for the Nevada Facilities Fund, they must meet a specific set of financial and performance criteria, including demonstrating academic results, as well as a commitment to serving students who have historically been furthest from opportunity. Students eligible for enrollment at Beacon Academy have credit deficiency, are on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), have been suspended or expelled, or are under court supervision/jurisdiction. Beacon Academy’s model supports students who are limited on choices to graduate from high school, and provides a safe, engaging, distraction-free environment for them not only to catch up on classwork, but develop plans and skills to serve them beyond their graduation date. The school’s blended learning model combines in-person support with flexible online coursework, allowing students to focus on three core subjects at a time, an approach tailored to how they learn best.
“Beacon Academy exemplifies the type of innovative and student-centered approach to education that speaks to the heart of the charter school movement. Through the Nevada Facilities Fund, we are proud to stand alongside schools like Beacon that are expanding opportunity and reimagining what’s possible for students, regardless of their history and background. We are grateful to the Governor, Treasurer, and Opportunity 180 for their visionary innovation in launching the Nevada Facilities Fund,” said Anand Kesavan, CEO of Equitable Facilities Fund.
The Nevada Facilities Fund is celebrating its first year of impact as a first-of-its-kind, public-private partnership that addresses a critical issue for high-performing public charter schools. While charter schools receive public funding per student, they must spend a significant amount of those limited per-pupil dollars on their facilities and thus face a major barrier to opening and operating high-quality schools. The Fund infuses $100 million of new investment in the Silver State, including $80 million from the Equitable Facilities Fund’s national funders and investors, $15 million from the Nevada State Infrastructure Bank, and $5 million in privately raised philanthropy. In its first year, the Nevada Facilities Fund has made three loans to high-performing charter schools for a total investment of $28 million in schools that will impact more than 2,200 students at capacity. Of the students currently served, 93% identify as a person of color and 95% qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch. Nearly 30% of students served by the Nevada Facilities Fund are English Learners.
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About Opportunity 180:
Opportunity 180 is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that is committed to ensuring every kid has access to a great school in their neighborhood that puts them on track to be college and career-ready, regardless of their zip code. We operate as investors, facilitators, and connectors, working with and through the community to reach our shared North Star and to ensure 100,000 more kids have access to a high-quality school in their neighborhood. O180 works across five focus areas that have been proven to have the greatest impact on education ecosystems and ensure the best outcomes for kids: Good Governance, Great Ideas in Action, Good Data, Engaged Community, and More Great Schools. For more information, visit opportunity180.org.
About Equitable Facilities Fund:
Equitable Facilities Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social impact fund created to provide low-cost facility loans that allow high-performing public charter schools to maximize the
resources they dedicate to students. High-quality public charter schools promote bright futures for children across America, and EFF believes these schools should borrow under terms comparable to traditional public-school districts. EFF administers an ‘A’ rated revolving loan fund, which recapitalizes using funds from Equitable School Revolving Fund’s bond issuances, to offer high-credit, long-term, scalable bond investment opportunities. To date, EFF has deployed over $1.7B of low-cost capital to help scale access to high-performing public schools for more than 120,000 students in low-income communities. To learn more, visit www.eqfund.org or email info@eqfund.org.
