For Flying Trees Academy, 2025 marked a year of growth and momentum, according to Jaelyn Farris, the school’s founder.
The private elementary school in Boardman, Ohio, provides a research-based, developmentally aligned education that prioritizes academic excellence, emotional regulation, critical thinking,and a lifelong love of learning. It serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade using the Farris Method, an approach that integrates psychology, neuroscience, and education.
In 2025, Flying Trees Academy moved from Poland to a Boardman site that offers more than five times the space. The 2025-2026 school year marked the school’s first full school year as a private school chartered by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. The school dealt with rising operational costs, a need to hire additional faculty and staffing and learning new procedures to accompany its charter.
The support of local resources including but not limited to the YSU Small Business Development Center, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber,and Valley Economic Development Partners, as well as guidance from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce helped with those challenges.
FTA’s student enrollment increased in 2025, leading to the school’s expansion. Additional successes included new community partnerships as well as increased community engagement through educational events and service initiatives, Farris says.
“Perhaps most importantly for our families, the 2025-2026 school year marked FTA’s first year as a provider of EdChoice Scholarships, which make school choice accessible for families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds,” she adds.
In 2026, Flying Trees Academy’s key initiatives will include expanding professional training offerings through The Farris Method, enhancing project-based learning experiences for students and pursuing philanthropic partnerships to increase scholarship opportunities.
Farris says FTA that through service-learning projects, community events,and educator training programs, FTA aims to contribute to long-term educational and economic resilience.
Pictured at top: Sierra Suarez, Phoebe Farris, Jaelyn Farris, Abigail Kapper, Charlotte Kapper, Ana Marie Casado and Danielle Vuletich cut the ribbon at Flying Trees Academy.
