GEORGETOWN, Del. - Las Américas ASPIRA Academy is set to open in Georgetown in fall 2026, expanding bilingual education opportunities in Sussex County.
The Spanish immersion charter school will be located in the historic Ice House building. It will open in phases, starting with about 200 students from kindergarten through second grade. As renovations continue, the school will expand to fifth grade. School officials say they aim to serve 500 students once renovations are completed.
"It is an amazing experience, it is an amazing opportunity as well, and not only that, but it is also a huge responsibility," said José Guillermo Avilés Rivera, K-8 head of school at Las Américas ASPIRA Academy.
Avilés Rivera said the school is eager to serve the Georgetown community.
"The opportunity to be able to have an extension of our team, of our 'familia'—because we say at ASPIRA, we're all 'familia'—an extension of our 'familia' serving the community down in Georgetown is going to be an amazing experience that we're looking forward [to]," he said.
Filomena Mendoza, a mother and business owner right next to the property, said she is excited about the school's arrival.
"It’s wonderful to have a school nearby, and that way, they can even walk there," Mendoza said.
The school will follow a dual-language program, with students spending 50 percent of their time learning in English and 50 percent in Spanish on alternating A-day and B-day schedules.
Avilés Rivera said the school's role goes beyond education.
"We are being tasked to—especially during the the political climate that we're going through right now—we're being tasked to provide not only education to our students, but also provide services to the community and meet the needs of all those kids so they can successfully learn," he said.
As part of that mission, Avilés Rivera said building strong community relationships has been key.
"We’ve been able to create straight, strong bonds with many of the community members, and they have always been talking about it would be amazing and a dream come true if we can have a school like yours over here," Avilés Rivera said. "Now that we have finally got the approval from the Department of Education again, it is a great opportunity."
Neyda Albarrán helped gather signatures for a petition supporting the school's opening.
"As an educator myself, I know the power that schools, especially schools that are open and welcoming—all school communities are open and welcoming—but that have particular focus and the focus on culture and community and meeting the needs of a multicultural need is just going to enrich the experience for parents, for students and for the whole community," Albarrán said.
Las Américas ASPIRA Academy is expected to open its Georgetown location in fall 2026.
