Missouri investor sells Palm Beach Gardens charter school

Investors are increasingly snapping up charter schools in Florida

Greg Silvers CEO of EPR Properties and Franklin Academy at 5651 Hood Road
Greg Silvers CEO of EPR Properties and Franklin Academy at 5651 Hood Road

A charter school in Palm Beach Gardens sold for $21.2 million amid a growing interest in non-traditional schools from out-of-state investors.

Kansas City, Missouri-based EPR Properties sold the 74,872-square-foot Franklin Academy at 5651 Hood Road for $283 per square foot, records show. A company tied to New York-based RM Charter Holdings bought the property.

Franklin Academy’s campus spans 10 acres and includes a gymnasium and athletic fields with jogging paths and fitness stations. It was built in 2014.

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EPR Properties is a real estate investment trust based in the United States that has over $6.6 billion in total investments.

Charter schools are becoming a more popular investment as the supply of available locations narrows, financing becomes more readily available and the demand for non-traditional schools in Florida grows.

Demand for these schools could also be rising because real estate investors see charter schools as a hedge against an economic downturn.

In August, a company tied to real estate investors David and Leila Centner bought a shuttered charter school site in Wynwood for $12.8 million. In May, Aventura-based ESJ Capital Partners sold the Sunshine Elementary Charter School & Paragon Academy of Technology at 502 North 28th Avenue in Hollywood for $6.7 million.