A new, private school focusing on competitive academics will open this year

A private school with a focus on competitive academics is set to open this summer in time for the next school year.

The Frazer School, named after Buchholz High School's Will Frazer, a nationally known teacher and math team coach, will serve Alachua County students in grades 3 through 12 who are interested in competitive academics.

The school will be private with spots for 520 students. Despite it being a private school, Frazer said keeping enrollment affordable is important to him. He said the school plans to charge about $2,000 over the Florida School Choice voucher, which provides families with around $8,000 for their student to attend private schools in the state.

Frazer said while they are still deciding on the qualifications for students interested in attending the school, students will be re-evaluated each year to make sure they're on track. However, he said, no students would have to reapply for the next year.

"I don't want anybody to think, 'Oh okay, I got in, now [I can be] lazy and sit back and coast' because I assume at some point we're gonna have a waiting list to get in," Frazer said. "I don't want somebody occupying a spot who's not putting forth much effort, when there might be somebody on the waiting list who's eager to get in and who wants to put effort. So, we're going to tell everybody it's a one-year thing, you have to work, you have to produce... Again, if we got a waiting list, it's not fair to those that might be interested in getting in or willing to do hard work when others maybe aren't."

Frazer also emphasized that, although his background is in math, The Frazer School won't be a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-based school; it will focus on academic competition in all subject areas and helping each student find their passion.

Last year's win: Buchholz High School wins 15th math national championship in 16 years

"We're going to push them hard — no doubt we're going to have very high standards," Frazer said. "We're gonna push hard and get kids to compete... The younger ones can have time to kind of find their path. So yeah, it's really just academic competition, finding your love and being pushed... When I think of competition, I'm talking about teams, collaboration, working together. Strong kids helping weaker kids, older kids helping younger kids, you know, have a common goal and working toward it. The American culture generally [has] always done that in sports, but not academics."

Frazer said while some students may be drawn to The Frazer School from the district's public schools, this could benefit the overcrowding issue in schools. Additionally, Frazer said he plans to enroll a variety of students from different types of learning environments.

"It's a double-edged sword," he said. "They [the district] might lose some some kids, but [it] also could potentially help with some of the overcrowding on the west side. I don't know, I haven't thought too deeply about that, but I have been fielding lots of calls from out-of-towners, other private schools and homeschools, in addition to kids who are currently in the school district."

How it came to be

Frazer said that James Schrader, current owner of (and headmaster at) Gainesville Christian Community School (GCCS), reached out to him in January with an idea to start a new private school. Frazer, who said the opportunity will provide him with flexibility and involvement, agreed to join the private sector.

Schrader said The Frazer School won't be religion-based or affiliated with GCCS — it will be its own separate school. Some resources, such as finance and tech staff, may be shared between the schools to mitigate cost.

"The Frazer School is for competitive academics in all fields and grade levels," Schrader said in an email to The Sun. "Frazer has done an excellent job with math and is building a program that will have competitive academics in all subjects. The goals of the Frazer school is to prepare its students for the highest level of academics including the Ivy Leagues."

Schrader said he and other partners are footing the bill of upfront costs — he said large costs are to be expected with the opening of any new school — but did not specify a number.

Schrader said that Frazer, along with a group, will handle admissions and will have academic requirements for each student that align with their education level to ensure students are at the level required for the school's education model.

"The school will provide the best education in the state and hopefully in the nation to students," said Schrader in an email. "Frazer is considered the pipeline to the Ivy Leagues, and having a private school that gives Frazer the freedom to teach how he sees fit."

Frazer, who has been with Alachua County Public Schools (specifically at Buchholz High) for 27 years, said leaving the district is bittersweet.

"It's tough," he said. "There's no animosity; these are good people... a lot of great relationships over those 27 years and, like I said, it was not easy. I had a lot of opportunities to leave almost from the very beginning and I've never taken any of them; and I love Gainesville, I love the community. I was born here, so, I've left a couple times and came back every time."

A Gainesville native and Buchholz High alumni, he also formed the math competition team at the school in 1998. Frazer said he hopes Buchholz's acclaimed math team — which has won 15 of the last 16 Mu Alpha Theta national championships and 15 of the last 18 state championships under his leadership — will continue after he's gone.

Recruiting

Schrader said eight teachers from Alachua County schools have committed to joining The Frazer School so far, and further interviews of candidates from several states are being conducted.

Frazer said he's also pursuing teachers who wouldn't go in to teaching if it weren't for this type of opportunity. Those from different professions will also teach at The Frazer School, such as a former math team student who now works in the tech world, a former science teacher who switched career paths and a former math teacher who left teaching and started his own business, among others.

Frazer's history didn't always revolve around teaching, similar to some employees he's bringing to The Frazer School. With a former career in finance on Wall Street, Frazer began to search for a new purpose in life and fell in love with teaching.

"I fell in love with it and still love it," he said. "I hope I'm doing it 'till I'm in the grave. And I'm 65; I got a lot of energy, and I'm in good health, and I hope to go a long time."

The Frazer School will occupy an existing building bought by Schrader at 1520 NW 34th St. Real estate websites such as Zillow.com, Trulia.com and Xome.com list the address as sold for $65,000 in March 2024.

The building will undergo minor renovations over the summer once the school currently occupying the building (Cornerstone Academy) vacates. It is unknown where Cornerstone Academy will relocate to at this time.

Future plans for the school may include acquiring another property or building another facility in the next few years to expand enrollment, Schrader told The Sun.

The Frazer School is set to open in August with three open houses currently planned:

• Grades 3-5: 7 p.m. on April 26

• Grades 6-8: 7 p.m. on April 27

• Grades 9-12: 7 p.m. on April 28

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Private 'Frazer School' will focus on academic competition