Oklahoma Catholic leaders plan to open online private school
After the U.S. Supreme Court blocked what would have been the nation’s first religious charter school on a rare 4-4 vote, Catholic leaders in Oklahoma now plan to open a new online private school…
After the U.S. Supreme Court blocked what would have been the nation’s first religious charter school on a rare 4-4 vote, Catholic leaders in Oklahoma now plan to open a new online private school next year.
The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa announced Monday that St. Carlo Acutis Classical Academy will open in August 2026. The school will enroll students in kindergarten through eighth grade for the 2026-27 school year, eventually expanding to K-12.
“We are thrilled to announce the opening of St. Carlo Acutis Classical Academy,” Misty Smith, the academy’s head of school, told the Oklahoman. “Our mission is to bring the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition into homes through an online format embracing classical curriculum resources that combine both synchronous and asynchronous learning.”
The school is named for Carlo Acutis, who was born in London, raised in Milan, and became known for documenting Eucharistic miracles online. Acutis died of leukemia in 2006 at age 15. Pope Leo XIV canonized him on Sept. 7, making him the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.
Smith said the new school is partly a response to rural families who lack access to Catholic education.
“We recognized a need in our rural communities for Catholic education where brick-and-mortar schools are unavailable,” she said.
Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley said the virtual school will focus on both faith formation and academics.
“The classes at the new school … will focus on the nurturing of the Christian development of each student and providing guidelines for academic excellence in the context of our Catholic faith through the Catholic intellectual tradition,” Coakley said.
The decision comes several months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the church’s effort to create St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School as a charter school.
In May, the Court upheld an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling finding the plan unconstitutional. The justices split 4-4 after Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself.
Supporters of St. Isidore had argued charter schools, though publicly funded, should be treated as private entities rather than state actors. The state’s high court ruling prevented taxpayer money from going to the project. Over 200 children had already been enrolled in St. Isidore before the legal setback.
Smith said those students, along with new families, now have another option.
“St. Carlo Acutis said, ‘To be with God, that is my life project,’ and everything we at the academy do walks us closer to unity with Christ,” she said.
