Aristoi Classical Academy Cypress Begins New School Year in Long-Awaited Permanent Campus
For families who have watched Aristoi Classical Academy Cypress grow from a young campus operating inside a Northwest Houston church into a school serving more than 700 students, the first day of the 2026–2027 academic year carried a little more meaning than usual.
On Thursday, Aug. 13, students arrived for the first day of classes at 13631 Ardfield Drive in Houston, beginning Aristoi Cypress' first school year in the permanent campus families had waited years to call their own. The school's current family resources identify Ardfield Drive as the home of its Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric schools serving grades K-11.
It is a transition measured in more than classrooms and square footage. The move gives the growing tuition-free public charter school something it has not had since opening in Cypress in fall 2020: a dedicated home built around the long-term future of the academy.
For Headmaster Mark Pertuso, the moment comes after years that he described to families as filled with both challenges and memorable milestones.
“As I eagerly await starting this academic year in our new facility, I cannot help but reflect on our previous years filled with joys and sufferings, growing pains and exciting adventures,” Pertuso wrote in an Aug. 4 letter to Aristoi Cypress families.
Those growing pains have now given way to a new chapter on Ardfield Drive.
From a Church Campus to a Permanent Home in Northwest Houston
Aristoi Cypress opened in fall 2020 and spent its first six school years operating at CrossOver Bible Fellowship on Perry Road near Willowbrook Mall.
That arrangement gave Aristoi a place to establish its classical education program in the Cypress and Northwest Houston area while enrollment and grade offerings steadily expanded. In his letter to families, Pertuso credited the church with helping make those early years possible.
“As we depart CrossOver Bible Fellowship, I know I speak for all of us when I express gratitude for this church community as they provided space for our teachers and scholars,” Pertuso wrote. “The time we spent at CrossOver allowed the seed of classical education to grow in Cypress. We are now ready for our next adventure.”
The next adventure began taking shape in December 2025, when Aristoi purchased the property at 13631 Ardfield Drive.
When My Neighborhood News first reported the acquisition in January, Aristoi officials described a $14 million privately funded expansion and redevelopment project that included renovation of the existing campus building, construction of a gymnasium and additional site improvements.
“As of December 23rd, 2025, we are the proud owners of 13631 Ardfield Drive, our future permanent K-12 campus in the Cypress area,” Superintendent Jonathan Mueller said when the purchase was announced. “There is much work yet to be done, but this is a tremendous milestone for Aristoi Classical Academy, one that will be a source of blessing to scholars and families for years to come.”
At the time, Mueller said the project represented more than a real estate transaction.
“Our future campus represents more than just a building—it’s a place where generations of students will learn to think deeply, speak clearly, and live virtuously,” Mueller said.
Less than eight months after the purchase announcement, students are now learning inside that permanent home.
More Than 710 Students Begin Aristoi Cypress' Seventh Year
The move comes during another significant period of growth.
Pertuso told families that Aristoi Cypress is beginning its seventh year with enrollment increasing from about 600 students to more than 710, while the campus expands to serve kindergarten through 11th grade.
That puts the school one step closer to becoming a full K-12 campus — and brings Aristoi Cypress closer to another milestone: its first graduating class.
Current Aristoi information describes the Cypress academy as a tuition-free classical liberal arts public charter school, while the broader Aristoi system serves more than 1,700 students and emphasizes critical thinking, effective communication, persuasive writing and lifelong learning.
Aristoi's educational approach is organized around the classical Trivium, progressing through Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric. Younger students build foundational knowledge during the Grammar stage; middle-grade students learn to analyze ideas and construct arguments during Logic; and high school students move into Rhetoric, where they use accumulated knowledge and reasoning skills to communicate effectively.
For families searching for classical education in Cypress, charter schools near Willowbrook, or tuition-free public charter schools in Northwest Houston, that model has become an increasingly established option as the Cypress campus has added both students and grade levels.
“This community has been incredibly patient and dedicated while we awaited this news,” Mueller said when the permanent campus was announced. “We’re excited to move forward together and to continue building something lasting for Northwest Houston.”
Families Get Their First Look Before Classes Begin
Before backpacks filled the hallways, Aristoi Cypress families had opportunities to become familiar with their new surroundings.
Parent orientations for older students were held Aug. 10, followed by Meet the Griffin events on Wednesday, Aug. 12. The following morning, the campus officially moved from construction project to school home as students began the first nine weeks of the 2026–2027 year.
The change also brings a sizable group of new faculty and staff members. Pertuso welcomed Sonya Atchison, Carissa Azemi, Hannah Beach, Rafael Bello, Kathleen Boyd, Kacy Bunte, Amy Garza Dupuch, Megan Ferrari, Sandra Hall, Noah Hyatt, Sarena Johnson, April Light, Melissa Mathew, Christina Ridley, Amanda Simecek, Paige Sweatt and Jessica Veloz to the Cypress campus.
Several returning staff members are also taking on new responsibilities. Megan Fast, who has taught in the Logic School for five years, has become Head of Logic School; Victoria Pace is serving as Academic Counselor; and Candice Deskins is serving as the K-4 Art Teacher.
Meanwhile, longtime Aristoi Cypress staff members Tiana Gill, AnneMarie Samuel, Robert Jorash and Richard Campbell have transitioned to help establish Aristoi's Missouri City campus. Kindergarten teacher Lonna Mock retired following the previous academic year.
Although students have moved into Ardfield Drive, the campus project is not entirely finished. Construction is continuing on the Griffin Center, planned as the school's gymnasium and auditorium space.
The moves are another sign of how much the broader Aristoi Classical Academy network — and the Cypress campus in particular — has changed since 2020.
A Long Journey Reaches Ardfield Drive
Pertuso framed the move for families through one of classical literature's most enduring journeys, comparing the Cypress community's years of growth and uncertainty to The Odyssey and Odysseus' determination to reach Ithaca.
He shared the passage: “Yet even so, I wish - yes, every day I long - to travel home and see my day of coming. And if again one of the gods shall wreck me on the wine-dark sea, I will be patient still, bearing within my breast a heart well-tried with trouble; for in times past much have I borne and much have toiled, in waves and war; to that let this be added.”
Pertuso then brought the metaphor closer to home.
“We have borne much together as a community at Aristoi Cypress, but we now possess hearts well-tried,” he wrote. “We are nearing our Ithaca at Ardfield.”
Now, that destination is no longer something families are watching through construction updates or imagining during a drive past the property.
Students are walking its hallways.
Teachers are teaching in its classrooms.
And after six years of establishing roots in borrowed space, Aristoi Classical Academy Cypress has begun the work of turning Ardfield Drive into the permanent school community its families have been anticipating.
“This major step forward allows us to fully live out the mission of Aristoi Classical Academy at our future home,” Mueller said when the project was announced.
For Cypress and Northwest Houston families who helped carry the school from its earliest days at CrossOver Bible Fellowship to a K-11 academy serving more than 710 students, the 2026–2027 school year represents something distinctly different from the six that came before it.
The Griffins are finally home.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for future updates on Aristoi Classical Academy Cypress, including continued development of the Ardfield Drive campus and progress toward the school's first graduating class.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
