Russell Wilson-backed Why Not You Academy to close after years of declining enrollment

The Russell Wilson-backed charter school, Why Not You Academy, is scheduled to close next month due to declining enrollment.

The school first opened in Des Moines in 2021. At one point, the school had nearly 200 students across ninth through 12th grade, according to The Seattle Times.

As of late last October, only 65 students were attending the school, and just nine were enrolled in the ninth grade.

A unanimous vote and a struggling academic record

In a unanimous vote to close down the school in November, the academy’s board ruled it was “chronically and significantly under-enrolled,” making it “not financially or operationally viable,” according to The Seattle Times.

The school struggled academically as well, with only 27.3% of students possessing foundational grade-level knowledge or higher in English language arts in the last school year. The four-year graduation rate at Why Not You Academy was also 62%, and only 12% of students attended 90% or more of the school days in that year.

With the Why Not You Academy’s closure, this is the eighth public charter school to shutter in Washington since 2016, when the legislature approved publicly funded, privately operated schooling.

Roughly 4,700 students are currently enrolled across 16 charter schools in Washington, with each school operating under a five-year renewable contract. The contract for the Why Not You Academy ran through September 2026, according to The Seattle Times.

Once the decision to close the school was announced in November, the school board issued a statement noting that the academy faced significant challenges in providing a well-resourced learning environment.

“Ongoing enrollment challenges that made it difficult to sustain the school’s programs at the scale needed to provide a stable and fully resourced learning environment,” the board stated, according to The Seattle Times.

Staff exodus, special education concerns

In 2024, a large number of staff and students left the school due to complaints about a toxic and chaotic school environment. Staff members claimed they were asked to teach classes even though they lacked certification, alongside complaints that students with disabilities did not receive legally required services.

Abigail O’Neal, former CEO of the Why Not You Academy, acknowledged the allegations regarding the school’s special education program, but said those students later received compensatory services. She also pushed back on the other allegations, claiming that staff left because they didn’t share the school’s vision, according to The Seattle Times.

One of the agencies that oversees the school, the Washington State Charter School Commission (WSCSC), flagged financial concerns and an urgent need to increase enrollment. The school was also under a state corrective action plan, which would demonstrate it could attract and retain students while remaining financially afloat.

WSCSC executive director Marcus Harden wrote in an email that the Why Not You Academy’s board worked “tirelessly” with the community and the commission, but couldn’t remedy the enrollment decline. Harden is also a former interim executive director of the school.

What’s next for students, staff

Once the board voted to shutter the school, it also approved biweekly office hours for students and families to help find schools for the next academic year, job-hunting assistance for school staff, and “larger end-of-year bonuses” for any team members in good standing, according to the meeting archive obtained by The Seattle Times.

“The new/current board has worked with the community, held numerous community meetings, supported every student who stayed (or left) with a transition plan and case-managed support to ensure no students are not transitioned smoothly to their next educational space,” Harden wrote.

Harden said seniors will graduate, and other support, including resume-writing assistance, was provided to staff.

“While not ideal, this is the promise of the high accountability and high support model of charter schools, and we’re proud of the choices that community, students, and board have made since WNYA was opened during COVID,” he said.

The former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Wilson and his wife, Ciara, donated $1.65 million to the school through their Why Not You Foundation in 2020. Following the donation, the school changed its name from Cascade Midway Academy.

The Wilsons weren’t involved in the school’s operations, but had visited the school and are listed as investors on the school’s website.

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