National Heritage Academies, Inc. - Introduction

Introduction

989 Spaulding Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
U.S.A.
Telephone: (616) 222-1700
Toll Free: (800) 699-9235
Fax: (616) 222-1701
Web site: http://www.heritageacademies.com

Private Company
Incorporated: 1995 as Educational Development Corporation
Employees: 2,100
Sales: $125 million (2002)
NAIC: 611110 Elementary and Secondary Schools

National Heritage Academies, Inc. (NHA) operates a chain of nearly 40 charter schools—state-regulated, for-profit institutions that serve as a tuition-free alternative to public schools. The company erects the buildings and provides personnel and management services, receiving what local school districts spend per student as compensation. NHA students get a back-to-basics education featuring phonics, math skills, and moral teaching, and follow strict disciplinary and dress codes. To reduce overhead, NHA centralizes many operations, pays its non-union teachers lower salaries, and eschews the use of buses or cafeterias. The Michigan-based company is owned by J.C. Huizenga, a cousin of Blockbuster/Waste Management billionaire Wayne Huizenga.