Aristoi Classical Academy, a charter school in the Katy area, plans to expand to the Cypress area.

The school’s board of directors approved opening a new campus at Crossover Bible Fellowship, 12332 Perry Road, Houston, at a special meeting in September, Aristoi’s Development Director Natalie DeJong said. Aristoi plans to open the campus in fall 2020 with about 200 enrolled students in kindergarten, first and second grades.

The church already has a facility that Aristoi can use, so the school will only have to make adjustments to prepare the building for classroom learning as well as hire faculty, DeJong said. She added that the school is pursuing grants to help pay for the expansion, which was prompted by the church.

“[Crossover Bible Fellowship] came to us, and their congregation is completely behind the model, and that's something we really look forward to,” DeJong said. “We don't want to go somewhere [where] ... no one wants us to be. We want 100 percent backing.”

She added that the area has a lot of at-risk youth who would benefit from Aristoi’s particular model of education. The charter school offers open enrollment and free classical education with small class sizes. The curriculum prioritizes citizenship and virtuous character.

“We not only want our kids to leave with a good education but also leave a better person," DeJong said.

Established in 1996, Aristoi has two existing campuses in Katy with a total enrollment of about 1,000 students, she said. Students in grades kindergarten through fourth are housed at 5618 11th St., Katy, while students in grades fifth through 12th are taught at 5610 Morton Road, Katy.

Eventually, all grades will be taught at the 22-acre Morton Road campus, DeJong said, but she did not have a timeline as this goal depends on fundraising for a new building for the elementary school. 

Aristoi will soon break ground on an athletics field at the Morton Road campus that will finish in the summer, DeJong said. Additionally, the school will begin construction on a competitive gym once $2 million is raised, she added.