Freedom Ave Maria Celebrates Grand Opening
Educational opportunities continue to grow in Ave Maria with the opening of Freedom Ave Maria, the second campus of The Freedom Institute. On August 20, students, families, Freedom leaders, chamber representatives, and members of the community gathered to celebrate the new campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the space.
Located at 5078 Pope John Paul II Boulevard overlooking the Ave Maria Town Center, the more than 10,000-square-foot campus supports students in grades 9 through 12 through Freedom’s personalized education high school program. The expansion brings Freedom’s Naples and Ave Maria communities together while introducing another flexible, family-centered educational option for local families.
Freedom Ave Maria is designed to support home education families by combining choice and flexibility with structure, guidance, accountability, and real-world preparation. Students follow personalized academic pathways with opportunities including dual enrollment, internships, apprenticeships, career exploration, AI-forward learning, and other hands-on experiences that connect education to life after graduation.
“Freedom’s vision is Economic Freedom through Learning,” said Chris Marker, CEO and Chief Learning Officer of The Freedom Institute. “Freedom Ave Maria allows us to bring that vision to more students and families through a personalized model that prepares young people for college, career, entrepreneurship, citizenship, and life with confidence and purpose.”
An important part of Freedom’s approach is its Success Coach model. Freedom’s Success Coaches are also certified Florida teachers who lead high school classes in math, science, civics, language arts, consumerism, and career. They work closely with students to provide academic planning, mentoring, college and career preparation, and individualized support. Success Coaches also help students access and receive tutoring support for college dual enrollment courses, giving many students the opportunity to earn tuition-free college credit, and in some cases up to two years of college credit, before graduation. In addition, Freedom helps families access more than 10,000 additional licensed courses and 30 CLEP courses for high school and college credit. This relationship-based model allows coaches to know each student well and help guide them toward their goals.
Principal Jill Striz leads the new Ave Maria campus, bringing more than a decade of experience in education to the role. An Ave Maria resident for more than 10 years and a graduate of Ave Maria University, Striz has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal throughout her career.
“It is an honor to help lead Freedom Ave Maria in a community my family and I love,” said Jill Striz, Principal of Freedom Ave Maria. “From the very beginning, our goal has been to create a place where students are known, supported, challenged, and encouraged to discover the path God has placed before them. We are so grateful for the families who have trusted us in this first year.”
Freedom Ave Maria begins its inaugural year with 52 students enrolled, already exceeding initial enrollment goals. Freedom leaders shared their excitement about the strong response from families and their hopes to continue growing alongside the Ave Maria community.
The ribbon cutting was held in partnership with the Greater Naples Chamber and the Immokalee Eastern Chamber, with support from local families, community leaders, donors, and partners. Freedom leaders also expressed gratitude to the Dekko Foundation, the Freedom Board, Barron Collier Companies, supporters, and the families who helped make the expansion possible.
As Freedom Ave Maria begins its first year, the team hopes the campus will be a place that radiates love, hope, and opportunity while helping students build the skills, character, and direction they need to succeed.