Creative Learning Lab Academy is shutting down in Fort Pierce

Why it matters: The private school's closure leaves families scrambling for alternatives and highlights ongoing challenges facing independent schools that rely heavily on state scholarship funding and tuition payments.

What happened

Creative Learning Lab Academy closed its doors after months of financial struggles, including unpaid rent and employee salaries, according to a source close to the situation.

The timeline:

• August: Teachers began working without pay as funding disputes emerged
• September: WPTV reported the school couldn't meet payroll, blaming delayed scholarship funds
• This week: School officially closed citing unpaid obligations

By the numbers

• 27 students had scholarships funded by mid-August through Step Up For Students
• 99 additional students were waiting for scholarship funds due to late applications
• 10 employees had already left by early September due to unpaid wages
• 1 planned preschool location on Okeechobee Road appears to have never opened

The bigger picture

This marks the second Fort Pierce area school closure in recent memory, following The Pace Center for Girls.

The school's owners, Christopher and Balanga Madison, had blamed funding delays from Step Up For Students, though the nonprofit disputed those claims and said it wasn't aware of any 2025-26 funding delays.

What's next

Affected families will need to find new educational options as the school year continues. The closure underscores the financial vulnerabilities facing private schools that depend heavily on state scholarship programs and tuition revenue.