Innovation Academy, one of the Medford School District’s three schools of choice, has received the green light from the city to increase its student capacity.

The Medford Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to modify Innovation Academy’s existing conditional use permit, allowing the school to increase its student population from 120 to 400.

After hearing a presentation about the proposed modification from city staff and peppering a school district attorney with questions, Commissioner John Quinn said he would vote for approval.

“I am very familiar with the area. They have been good neighbors; I can’t take that away from them,” Quinn said. “Everyone I know in the area that has commented on it has been satisfied, and I’ve been fine with it, seeing it every day. So I will vote ‘yes’ and trust you guys.”

The school district initially gained approval for a conditional use permit for 120 students when Innovation Academy opened its Center Drive campus in August 2023, replacing its previous location on Royal Avenue. The academy is led by Principal Cass Thonstad.

Innovation Academy, which serves ninth through 12th graders, is described on its website as “a hopeful option for students who thrive in smaller settings with hands-on learning.” Its instructional mode is known as “project-based learning,” which has become so popular that the academy is inviting students to add themselves to the current waitlist, district officials say.

On Thursday, commissioners questioned Dan O’Connor, a real estate attorney representing the school district, on whether the student increase would mean the academy would have 400 students for the 2024-25 school year. He assured them it would not.

Brad Earl, assistant superintendent of operations for the school district, said in an interview that the initial conditional use permit for the academy capped the number of students at 120 so district officials could start using the new property sooner. The academy currently has close to 100 students. 

But now, with a waitlist of 50 students, “we’re ready to take the next step,” Earl said.

“What we would like to do, though, is not race to 400, but perhaps explore having closer to 200 students in year two, and then grow after that,” he said. 

Earl anticipates the academy will reach 400 students, with an increase of 100 students per school year. He said the commission’s approval “demonstrates great foresight on the part of the city.”

Matt Brinkley, planning director for the city of Medford, applauded the commission’s approval of the conditional use permit modification. 

“I think what the school district is doing within the Innovation Academy is a good thing. … It’s meeting a need,” Brinkley said in an interview. “We’ve seen, specially since COVID-19, the nature of secondary education … is changing, and families are looking for more options and this provides one of those options within the Medford School District. I’m glad they’re able to implement that plan.”