The Charles School

TGFS school counselors attended the All Ohio Counselors ConferenceThe conference theme was Creativity @ Work, and our counseling staff had the opportunity to participate in a variety of relevant and timely topics in the counseling profession. Our school counselors support ALL students, helping them succeed academically, socially, and in their careers, and we appreciate their hard work every day!
TGFS school counselors attended the All Ohio Counselors Conference
Congratulations Class of 2024!
Class of 2024 students
TCS@ODU students and staff went to Cedar Point to celebrate the end of the school!
TCS@ODU students and staff went to Cedar Point to celebrate the end of the school!
Student Government Visits Sweet Waters Coffee and TeaStudent Government visited Sweet Waters Coffee and Tea on OSU’s campus. They spent time drawing, writing kind words, and giving affirmations on the coffee cups in an effort to make someone’s day better! They were excited to help make the community a happier place.
Student Government visited Sweet Waters Coffee and Tea on OSU’s campus. They spent time drawing, writing kind words, and giving affirmations on the coffee cups in an effort to make someone’s day better! They were excited to help make the community a happier place.
TCS@ODU 11th graders visited Otterbein UniversityThey took a tour and visited with staff in the Admission Office.
TCS@ODU 11th graders visited Otterbein University on March 23! They took a tour and visited with staff in the Admission Office.
Ms. Menechella's Physics class building marble runs.
Ms. Menechella's Physics class building marble runs.

Upcoming Events

Dec
3

Ohio State Assessments (Make-Ups and Retakes)

Tue Dec 3 2024
to Fri Dec 13 2024

Dec
19

Midterm Course Exams: 12:30 Early Release

Thu Dec 19 2024
to Fri Dec 20 2024

Dec
20

Quarter 2/Semester 1 Ends

Fri Dec 20 2024
Dec
23

No School - Winter Break

Mon Dec 23 2024
to Tue Dec 31 2024

Jan
1

No School - Winter Break

Wed Jan 1 2025
to Fri Jan 3 2025

News

TCS Grads

Do you know someone who might be interested in attending TCS@ODU in the 2025-2026 school year?

Do you have co-workers, friends, or family members looking for high school options for the 2025-2026 school year?

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TCS students

TCS@ODU Needs Your Support!

Gifts to the Annual Fund provide critical resources that support the essentials of our programming, while allowing us flexibility to direct funds to where they are needed most such as field work, classroom materials, and support for professional development that keeps our teachers at the leading edge of changes in the field of education. Charitable gifts allow us to invest in those value-driven aspects of The Graham Family of Schools that set us apart from other schools. Every member of our community is asked to participate: parents, grandparents, board members, community members and friends. 

Giving to the Annual Fund is quick and easy. 
Contributions are tax-deductible and will significantly impact our ability to achieve our educational mission.
Any size gift will make a difference for our students!
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TCS students

Celebrating Our Growth and Dedication to Excellence

School Report Card (2023-2024 school year)
We are excited to share that the Ohio Department of Education has recently released the 2023-24 Ohio School Report Cards, and our three schools - The Graham School, The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University, and Graham Elementary and Middle School - have much to be proud of! While we recognize that there is work to be done, these results reflect the tremendous progress we’ve made as a community.
 
Highlights:
  • All 3 schools achieved a performance index of achievement that meets or exceeds the requirements that Ohio considers when determining high quality schools.
  • TCS was able to meet the High Quality Charter School funding requirements for the second year in a row and GEMS was able to meet these requirements for the first of two years for qualification. 
  • TGS has met one requirement (performance index) and aims to continue working towards the progress score needed to meet the first year of qualification for High Quality funding. 
  • GEMS & TCS achieved an Overall Rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars. They achieved 4 stars out of 5 stars in Progress.
  • TGS maintained steady scores with overall improvements to the Performance Index and more than doubled their percentages for helping students to be “Prepared for Success” as determined by the state report card.
  • TGS achieved a 4-year graduation rate of 85.4% and a 5-year graduation rate of 90%.
  • TCS more than doubled their Prepared for Success percentage and scored over 60% in their Performance Index for the 2nd year in a row
  • GEMS received an improved Early Literacy rating that almost tripled their improvement rate from last year while continuing to Close the Gap, a 3-year track of progress in this area. 
We know that growth is key to student success, and we are proud that all our schools are making strides toward ensuring every student reaches their potential. The Progress Component in our report cards highlights our students' academic growth year after year and our continued commitment to that work.
 
At the same time, we understand that there are areas where we need to focus our attention, particularly around closing achievement gaps, improving proficiency levels in core academic areas, and improving attendance rates. We remain dedicated to identifying and addressing these needs, with targeted support and interventions to help every student succeed.
 
These achievements are a testament to the hard work, resilience, and commitment of our teachers, staff, and students. We are incredibly proud of the progress our students have made, and we celebrate their growth as they continue to learn and thrive.
 
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in making our schools a place of growth, opportunity, and success. We are excited to continue this journey together, building on our progress and striving for excellence in everything we do.
 
Together, we are preparing every student for a bright and successful future!
 
Ed Ingman & James Kutnow
Co-Superintendents
The Graham Family of Schools
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James and Ed

The Graham Family of Schools welcomes our new Co-Superintendents

The Graham Family of Schools (TGFS) is pleased to welcome Co-Superintendents Ed Ingman and James Kutnow as our new leaders for the 2024-2025 school year. Together they have been Assistant Superintendents since 2022. The Graham School, The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University and Graham Elementary and Middle School Founders, Eileen Meers and Greg Brown, officially passed the torch to their successors September 1, 2024.

Ed Ingman has been with TGFS since his arrival at The Graham School in 2003, fresh out of college, to teach high school science. In 2007 he joined the initial staff of The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University as a teacher, followed by a promotion to Dean in 2009. James Kutnow moved to Columbus to join The Graham School staff in 2007 as the Experiential Coordinator and was on the development team for Graham Elementary and Middle School, becoming its Dean in 2010. Ed and James subscribe to the values intrinsic to The Graham Family of Schools, and look forward to carrying these values forward expanding growth, achievement and prosperity for these schools which provide unique, rigorous, relational, safe and innovative public educational options to K-13 students in Central Ohio.

Eileen Meers and Greg Brown envisioned providing educational opportunities for students in Central Ohio that allowed them to experience the world with support and reflection before being released into our communities as expectant citizens. They also believed in a model of collaborative leadership that can be seen in all of our schools today.

In 2000, The Graham School (TGS) opened in Clintonville as one of the first public community schools in Ohio.  It was founded in the belief that students needed the opportunity to own their learning, while encountering the world around them so that the education they received was focused on experiencing growth and knowledge both within and outside of the classroom.  The school focuses on this experiential education in a small-school setting where all students are known by all staff members. In 2007, leadership from TGS expanded their vision by opening The Charles School at Ohio Dominican University (TCS@ODU), an early college high school in partnership with Middle College National Consortium and in 2010, Graham Elementary and Middle School (GEMS) in partnership with EL Education opened to serve students in grades K-8. 

Eileen’s legacy of providing both the students and staff she worked with opportunities to grow, reflect and thrive has been one that pays forward and continues to inspire the work of The Graham Family of Schools and our community. Greg’s extensive experience in communication, leadership and education provided him with an authentic platform from which to collaborate and create learning environments that students and colleagues could learn and reflect from.  

Ed and James are embracing their senior roles with TGFS and look forward to serving a diversity of Central Ohio students and families over many impactful years alongside their dedicated and well trained staff.

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