Online PA charter school buys building in downtown Erie

  • Commonwealth Charter Academy, an online charter, has purchased former Erie Business Center building on West Ninth Street
  • CCA in fall 2022 plans to open Family Service Center on site, to provide in-person tutoring, other resources for online students
  • Online charter schools saw enrollment boom in Pennsylvania during pandemic

A building once known for in-person classes for career-bound Erie adults is getting turned into a hub for online education for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The former Erie Business Center building, at 248 W. Ninth St., in Erie, has been sold for $600,000 to Commonwealth Charter Academy, a statewide online charter school based in Harrisburg.

CCA plans to renovate the building and open it in the fall of 2022 as its 14th Family Service Center in Pennsylvania, said Timothy Eller, CCA‘s senior vice president of outreach and government relations.

The former Erie Business Center building at 248 W. Ninth St., in Erie, shown on Tuesday, was purchased for $600,000 in late June by Commonwealth Charter Academy, a statewide online charter school.

Eller said teachers will provide online classes from the building. He said teachers also will be available, along with guidance counselors and other staff members, for in-person tutoring and meetings with parents and students at the Family Service Center in Erie.

Eller said the nearest CCA Family Service Center is in Seven Springs, near Cranberry Township in Butler County. CCA wanted to establish a physical presence in northwestern Pennsylvania as its enrollment from students in the region, including Erie County, has grown, Eller said.

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