Beacon Education eyes land on N. Fourth St. for Spark Academy

June 8, 2026 - 20:26

Wilmington-based nonprofit Beacon Education is moving forward with plans to build another Spark Academy on land it recently purchased along North Fourth Street in the city's Brooklyn Arts District. The organization bought several tracts at 812, 816, 818 and 822 N. Fourth Street, plus 13 Collier Alley, in two separate deals earlier this year. The combined price for the land was $1.7 million, according to deed records.

Todd Godbey, Beacon Education's president and CEO, said the location fits the Spark Academy model well. The schools provide early childhood education for children ages six weeks through pre-K, serving families at different income levels. Beacon Education also runs the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington, known as GLOW. Spark Academy opened its first campus in 2023 at 1802 South 17th Street.

Godbey explained that about half of Spark's students pay full tuition, while the other half receive financial aid. This mixed-income approach aims to prepare all children for kindergarten, no matter their family's financial situation. A key part of Beacon's strategy is placing Spark Academies where low-income and high-income neighborhoods meet. The 17th Street location sits between the Houston Moore Apartments and Wilmington Housing Authority to the west, and the Cape Fear Country Club and wealthier areas to the east.

The North Fourth Street property was actually one of the first sites Beacon looked at for a Spark Academy. Godbey said the deal fell through initially. The land came off the market, someone bought one parcel, but then everything came back together months later. Broker Jeff Hovis of Intracoastal Realty Corp. said the sale required working with two different owners and combining four tracts of land.

In March, Beacon closed on 816, 818 and 822 North Fourth Street and 13 Collier Alley for $675,000, buying from Fourth Street Townhomes LLC. In April, the nonprofit purchased the 0.55-acre lot at 812 North Fourth Street for $1.1 million from Mr. Moose LLC.

Godbey said planning is still early. An environmental study will look at demographic factors like the number of potential students, average household income, downtown employee counts, and how many families might pay full tuition versus need aid. Those details will decide how many student spaces are needed, which will guide the building's size and cost. Beacon plans to fundraise much of the project and may seek money from the New Hanover Community Endowment.

The North Fourth Street site will likely hold a smaller building than the one on 17th Street. Godbey expects between 100 and 150 students and said development will take several years. A third Spark Academy location is also in the works. The organization's strategic plan calls for five Spark Academies total, with four in New Hanover County and one in northern Brunswick County. Godbey said the group will keep looking for property around town that fits its mission and model.