Our Story

Visionary Beginning

The journey of Northwest Ohio Classical Academy began in August of 2015. Phillip Kilgore, then the Director of the Barney Charter School initiative, contacted Mr. Robert Pruger and Mrs. Janet Ragan to ask if they would be interested in starting a BCSI school in the Toledo area. Mr. Pruger (the first board president) had been exploring the possibility of bringing a classical education option to northwest Ohio, and Mrs. Ragan had been in contact with BCSI since 2012 due to her interest in classical education. All three visionaries met at a local Panera Bread restaurant and the decision was enthusiastically made to move forward. Three more individuals, Mrs. Cheryl Garlow, Mrs. Kathleen Sallah, and Mrs. Anna Woycik, each passionate about classical education, formed the NOCA Founding Board.

In 2017, Dr. Larry Fanelly and Professor Lee Strang joined the board, later followed by Matt Dietrich, Ann Curry, and Eleanor Kemp. This group of dedicated citizens helped to raise $250,000 from contributions from over 80 donors. Among the donors was the Delp family. Their considerable generosity was pivotal in helping the dream of NOCA become a reality.

NOCA’s Doors Open

On September 14th, 2019, founders, board members, donors, newly hired faculty and staff, and students gathered at Northwest Ohio Classical Academy to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony which honored the achievement of many hands forging together to house the school, secure resources, funding, staff, and a student body. This was the culmination of a more than five-year effort to bring high-quality, tuition free, classical education to the Toledo area. All Faculty and staff believe in the vision of a content-rich, rigorous curriculum where the mission is to both educate children as well as to rear children to become virtuous citizens and thoughtful leaders. It’s that dual mission which attracted the faculty, staff, and approximately 200 students in its first year. In its second year, NOCA’s enrollment expanded to include over 300 students. Currently, NOCA has over 600 students enrolled for 2024-2025 school year.

NOCA Foundation Launches

In the spring of 2021, the NOCA Foundation was formed to further solidify our school’s place in our community. Through the Foundation, we were able to purchase our Glendale campus, allowing us to prepare to extend our footprint to work towards serving more students in the Toledo area. In 2022, the Foundation began the first steps of a multi-phased expansion plan. Beginning with raising over $50,000 at its inaugural Liberty Gala Fundraiser, the Foundation worked to develop an Institutional Advancement Plan to sustain the school for years to come.

Building Updates Begin

In September of 2022, the school saw many exciting changes to the building as the NOCA Board and Foundation began its multi-phased expansion project. In September, the school celebrated the completion of Phase 1, the remodeled Lower School Hallway, that provided us with eight fully remodeled classrooms and two restroom facilities.

In March 2023, the school broke ground on Phase II, the Upper School building expansion, with plans to add over 15,000 sq ft of new space including six classrooms, two science labs, a new multi-use space, restrooms, as well as additional modifications to the existing campus.

NOCA revealed the new, expanded wing of the school to students, families and trustees on Jan. 26, 2024. Lee Strang, president of the Board of Trustees explained that the school had become overcrowded due to increasing enrollment every year, and the expansion was necessary to keep up with the demand.

The Start of a Legacy

Today, NOCA continues to solidify its reputation in the community in its short existence, as evidenced by the many families looking to join the original families in their mission to provide quality classical education to their children.
We are genuinely humbled and inspired by the vision, work, and sacrifices made by so many people seeking to promote the good, the true, and the beautiful through classical education. We are grateful to supporters, old and new, for giving us the gift of NOCA.