Freeman Academy to close after 2025-26 school year following corporation vote amid enrollment, budget challenges

Freeman Academy, a private Christian school in Freeman, will close at the end of the 2025-26 school year after a corporation vote. Leaders cited declining enrollment, ongoing deficits and long-term sustainability concerns.

By Riley Harrington February 13, 2026 12:11 pm

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MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — Freeman Academy in Freeman will close at the end of the 2025-26 school year following a special-meeting vote by the Freeman Junior College/Freeman Academy Corporation.

The motion to end grades 1-12 operations passed 1,702-956 during the Jan. 31 vote. Board chair Brian Paff said the decision followed more than a year of evaluation and was approached with reluctance amid long-term enrollment decline and ongoing financial and operational challenges.

The school currently serves 53 students, including 15 boarding students who live in Frontier Hall, down from 86 at the start of the 2014-15 school year. Officials have said the school would likely need close to 100 students across grade levels to be sustainable.

Freeman Academy’s final day of classes is scheduled for May 20. Administrators are working with families to help transfer records and identify new schooling options, and the senior class includes 12 students expected to graduate this spring.

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