The school originally opened in downtown Columbus in 2004, and after closing for a year, reopened in Westerville in 2007. For the past two years, students studied in modular classrooms on the Walnut Street property.

Cornerstone's chief administrative officer, Jaime Scott, said that the new building was constructed in response to increased enrollment and the desire for a permanent facility.

"We started out with 80 students and were at 160 last year," she said. "We knew that a new building was needed."

Enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year is currently at 260 students. Scott anticipates that enrollment may be closer to 300 by the time school starts on Aug. 10. The new building has the capacity for more than 300 students.

With the students in modular classrooms, Scott said they missed out on the community that hallways provide.

"The new building has areas outside of each classroom to display student work," she said. "The students are thrilled to show everyone in the building and in the school what they have been working on."

In its first year, Cornerstone operated a kindergarten through fifth grade program. A new grade has been added each year to accommodate the current upper grade of students. A seventh grade will be added this year, with eighth grade to follow in 2010.

"We'll stop there for a while," Scott said. "We're very fortunate to have a contract that is K-12. We are hoping that down the road, we will be able to add a high school facility or at least a high school program."

Cornerstone Academy is a charter school and receives state funding.

"We receive the baseline state funding that the districts would receive for their children," Scott said. "We do not have access to facility or levy money, just the base level of district funding."

Approximately 55 to 60 percent of Cornerstone students are from Westerville, she said. The school also draws students from the Columbus, Johnstown-Monroe, Reynoldsburg, Gahanna, Licking Heights and New Albany districts.

Students from Columbus and Westerville are able to access district transportation to Cornerstone.

Scott said two unique elements of Cornerstone's program are the extended school day and year and the increased level of parent involvement. Students attend school from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for 192 days each year.

"For students in our K-5 program, it's ultimately two and a half additional years of instruction," Scott said. "Students lose a lot less information over the summer with a shorter summer break. We spend less time reviewing and more time on new information."

All parents are asked to volunteer about two hours every month. A variety of opportunities exist, from helping in the classroom to assisting with evening programs or volunteering from home.

Cornerstone has an open enrollment policy and is still accepting students in all grade levels for the 2009-2010 school year, Scott said. She said the kindergarten, fourth and fifth grades are almost at capacity, but the other grades have more space available for new students.

Information about the school is available by calling (614) 775-0615 or online at www.cornerstoneacad.org.