A longtime educator in Ohio is moving to expand educational options for girls in Cleveland at a time when the city’s public school system is facing shrinking enrolment, budget pressures and campus closures.
Dr. Luciana Gilmore, a former administrator with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), is set to launch the FORWARD Girls Leadership Academy, a tuition-free, all-girls public high school scheduled to open in fall 2026. The school is expected to be Cleveland’s first independent, single-gender public high school for girls.
The announcement comes as CMSD prepares to close and merge multiple schools in response to declining student numbers, rising operational costs and reductions in state and federal education funding.
While district leaders are consolidating resources, Gilmore is advancing a model she says directly confronts long-standing inequities in access to quality education for girls—particularly those from Black and brown communities.
Addressing a Gap in Public Education
Gilmore, who previously served as principal of John Adams High School, said the idea for FORWARD emerged from a clear gap in Cleveland’s education landscape. Although CMSD operates two all-girls schools at the pre-K through eighth-grade level, there is currently no comparable public high school option.
“There are girls out there who want a single-gender high school experience, but the only options available are private schools with high tuition fees,” Gilmore said. “If you don’t have the financial means, you simply don’t have access. That’s an equity issue.”
Private institutions such as Laurel School, Hathaway Brown and Beaumont School offer all-girls education in the region, but their fees place them beyond the reach of many families. FORWARD aims to remove that financial barrier.
Structure and Academic Focus
The school will operate independently under its own governing board rather than within CMSD. It plans to open with 75 ninth-grade students and add one grade level each year. At full capacity, FORWARD will serve between 75 and 100 students per grade.
Its curriculum will centre on leadership development, with academic pathways in STEM and global humanities. The school will not initially offer sports programmes, a decision Gilmore said allows resources to be concentrated on academics, mentoring and student support services.
Citing research on single-gender education, Gilmore argues that all-girls schools can better prepare students for post-secondary education by reducing social pressures and increasing participation in leadership and science-based subjects.
School Choice and Public Funding Debate
The launch of FORWARD also reopens debates about the impact of charter and independent schools on traditional public school systems. CMSD, like many urban districts across the United States, has seen enrolment decline as families explore alternative education models.
Gilmore acknowledged that independent schools may contribute to funding challenges for districts, which typically receive money based on enrolment. However, she said the focus should remain on student outcomes.
“We should be more concerned about whether children have excellent educational experiences than where the dollars are going,” she said. “If an option is working for students, families should be able to choose it.”
A Personal Mission
For Gilmore, the school represents more than an institutional project. She describes FORWARD as her “legacy work,” rooted in decades of experience in public education and a personal commitment to girls’ empowerment.
She is currently finalising a school building on Cleveland’s southeast side, and student enrolment is expected to open in January.
As cities across the United States—and globally—grapple with how to fund and reform public education, FORWARD Girls Leadership Academy is emerging as a case study in how targeted, equity-driven models may coexist with, and challenge, traditional school systems.
