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ST. LOUIS — Believe Academy charter high school will move into a building near Harris-Stowe State University in the fall.

The school, in its first year, has 100 students in ninth and 10th grades with plans to grow to an enrollment of 540 in 2027. Classes are currently held at Central Baptist Church.

The new building was formerly the Gateway/Hubert Wheeler State School for severely disabled students at 100 S. Garrison Avenue. Renovations at the 53,000-square-foot school this summer will add health science labs and a gym.

Believe’s founder Kimberly Neal-Brannum said the location was chosen in part for its proximity to Harris-Stowe, St. Louis University and the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, where Believe students can receive college credits or job certifications.

“This is home,� Neal-Brannum said Thursday at a groundbreaking ceremony.

Believe freshmen said their favorite memories this year have been hands-on, such as learning how to take vital signs with medical mannequins.

“I wanted to get started as soon as possible,� said Lavender Dean, 15. “I just want to help people.�

Charter schools are publicly funded nonprofits that operate outside of the school districts where they are allowed by state law, including St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, Normandy and Riverview Gardens.

St. Louis Public Schools sued Believe’s leaders in 2023 in an attempt to stop the charter school from opening, citing a lack of proper notification. An appeals court judge ruled last month that the lawsuit could proceed, but it is unclear whether SLPS will pursue its case.

The district contends the city has too many schools for a dwindling population of children. More than half of the 37 charter school operators that came to the city have folded due to financial or academic failures. Two charter schools in St. Louis will close at the end of the academic year due to low enrollment — Confluence’s Aspire Academy and Momentum’s Gravois Park campus.

Another charter school, Friendly Academy, will open this fall in the former Hawthorn charter building in the Kingsway West neighborhood. The school backed by Friendly Temple Baptist church plans to enroll 100 students in kindergarten and first grade, adding a grade each year for a total of 400 students through fifth grade.