SLO Classical Academy launches $29 million fundraising campaign for new campus
San Luis Obispo Classical Academy recently launched a $29 million capital campaign to fund the purchase and remodel of its new location on Broad Street — and it’s already halfway to that goal.
The SLO private school got approval to move into a former business park at 3450 Broad St. in June, The Tribune previously reported.
The building will house the school’s daycare, preschool and K-8 program, which were previously housed in leased buildings across SLO. Its high school, currently located on Higuera Street, will remain at that location.
The acquisition came over more than a decade of searching for a permanent spot, SLO Classical Academy founder Susie Theule told The Tribune.
“I’ve been doing this 20 years, so to actually see some of the dreams come true is really fun,” she said.
The school is projected to move into its new location by August 2026.
What does classical education look like in SLO?
SLO Classical Academy was founded 20 years ago on a classical education model — something that has seen a resurgence among charter and private schools across the nation over the past decade.
Classical education is inspired by the teaching methodologies employed by some of western history’s most prominent minds, like Socrates and Plato, Theule told The Tribune.
SLO Classical Academy employs this by integrating lessons across disciplines and grades. For example, students might read “The Odyssey” in their English class and learn about Ancient Greece in history, allowing them to pull knowledge from different disciplines to create a holistic understanding of a topic.
Similarly, students follow a four-year history track, where they study ancient, medieval, Renaissance and American history. Each year, students study the same topics, catered to their individual grade level, to encourage conversations across age groups.
SLO Classical Academy also focuses on shaping students into good people, Theule said, encouraging them to think for themselves, act virtuously and have conversations across belief systems.
While some classical schools exist within a Christian framework, the leaders of SLO Classical Academy described their school as “nonsectarian.”
“We actually really honor religion and beliefs and political viewpoints, but that’s not what our school is about,” Theule said. “Our school is about coming together to the table, to kind of this feast of learning, with whoever wants to be there.”
SLO school launches capital campaign to fund new space
SLO Classical Academy aims to integrate its classical education model into its new, 52,000-square-foot space — and it’s seeking to raise $29 million to make that happen. So far, it’s raised a little under $15 million.
The building will house the school’s daycare, preschool and K-8 programs. With about 430 students currently enrolled, the new space has room for the school to expand to serve around 500 students, according to leaders.
It will have a middle school gym that doubles as a theater, an expanded library, outdoor play space, an expanded bookstore and gathering area for parents, and an expanded staff lounge with an outdoor deck, Theule explained to The Tribune on a tour of the facility.
The new school will also feature art and maker-space rooms, lounges for different age groups, culinary stations and a kitchen.
Theule told The Tribune that getting into the new facility after more than 13 years of searching was “a huge sigh of relief.”
Now, the team is in fundraising mode.
The $29 million capital campaign is slated to help fund the purchase and renovation of the Broad Street building. The goal is to fundraise the full amount to avoid raising tuition for families, Theule told The Tribune.
Currently, K-8 tuition sits between $9,000 and $17,000 depending on the option a family chooses, marketing director Besti Ashby told The Tribune. About one-third of families receive financial aid, she added.
School leaders have been targeting student families, grandparents and local community partners to secure donations. One grandparent pledged a $10 million match donation that the team is working to unlock, Theule said.
“This campaign isn’t just about a building. It’s about shaping lives and strengthening our community,” Theule said in an Oct. 21 news release. “At SLOCA, we’re committed to raising contributors — not just consumers — who will lead with character and creativity. Even if your own child never attends, your gift ensures the next generation has the opportunity to flourish here.”
The school has so far raised about $14.9 million of its goal, Ashby confirmed to The Tribune.
More information about the capital campaign can be found at the SLO Classical Academy’s website.
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