After the birth of his son, J.C. Huizenga began to think about education from a parent's perspective. He believed every child should have the opportunity to receive a great education and schools should be held accountable to produce results. This led Mr. Huizenga to open his first National Heritage Academies school in 1995 – Excel Charter Academy – and his belief continues to drive our mission forward today.

NHA is a manages over 100 charter schools around the country. Charter schools are tuition-free public schools independent from the local district public schools. Like district public schools, charter schools are required to adhere to all federal, state, and local education, health, and safety rules and regulations. Charter schools offer the quality of a private school education without the cost. National Heritage Academies provides education that focuses on college-readiness and making sure students are prepared for life, with an emphasis on moral focus curriculum.

Each school also has a principal-dean model with three deans who act as the next level manager for lower elementary, upper elementary, and middle school. Deans and registrars (similar to traditional office secretaries) will be the best point of contact for substitutes as they have questions throughout the day.

National Heritage Academies operates 100+ schools across nine states serving over 60,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. PrepNet Virtual Academy provides an online school experience for students in grades K-12 who reside in the state of Michigan.