WILKINS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Dominus Charter School in Wilkins Township was supposed to be open for the start of the school year. Now other schools are preparing to take on dozens of extra students.
The plan was to transform an old office building located on the border of Penn Hills and Wilkins Township into a high school, but today the doors are locked.
Dominus High abruptly announced last week that it would not welcome students this school year.
On August 29th, a letter went out to families, reading, in part, “after exploring every possible option to move forward this year, we must share that Dominus High School will not open.”
The startup entrepreneurial charter school was set to transform an office building in Wilkins Township into a high school, with ties to the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship, a K-8th. 250 ninth and 10th-grade students were set to start this fall.
“We received word Wednesday of last week that Dominus was not opening either brick and mortar or virtual,” said Penn Hills Superintendent John Mozzocio.
Mozzocio says he and his staff quickly came up with a plan to recruit Dominus students who live in Penn Hills.
“There were about 60 students that were enrolled in Dominus at one point in time. 20 of those students did attend Penn Hills last year, so we wanted to reach out again to each student individually,” Mozzocio said.
Already, Penn Hills School District has welcomed 30 of those students.
Penn Hills will now host an open house for more families to tour their high school.
“This gives us another opportunity to build relationships with the students and the families and show them that Penn Hills has changed course,” Mozzocio said.
Dominus High offered hands-on learning. Penn Hills says they can offer a similar experience through their Phorge Academy, which allows students to select a career track.
“The Phorge Academy, the 9th grade academy where students can get involved in their robotics and information technology, nursing, in business entrepreneurship,” Mozzocio said.
Penn Hills open house will take place at their high school on Thursday, starting at 6:30 p.m., offering a dinner, tours and an opportunity to meet students and teachers.
Dominus High School released the following statement on the 2025-26 Opening:
“Our students and their families have always been at the heart of Dominus, and that will never change. Earlier this week, the Woodland Hills School Board did not approve our request to begin virtual learning until we were able to transition to in-person learning. As a result, Dominus High School will not open this fall as planned. We share the disappointment felt by our students, families, and our community. This is a delay, not the end. Pittsburgh is a city built on resilience, and so is our community. Our immediate focus is ensuring families have the clarity and support they need right now, including school transitions, uniform returns, and continued engagement opportunities. To that end, we are developing plans to keep students, parents, and faculty inspired and connected until our doors officially open. In 2026, Dominus will open with the preparation, strength, and commitment our families have entrusted to us.”
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