A small private school – often referred to as a “microschool” – has been evicted and is being sued for failing to pay rent on two commercial office spaces at Holly Hill Mall. Meanwhile, the school’s founder and CEO has also been evicted from her residence in Whitsett, also for failing to pay rent.
Holly Hill Mall and Business Center filed suit against Burbrella Learning Academy, a private “microschool,” in Ala-mance County civil superior court this summer to recover $41,016.46 in outstanding rent for January to May 2025, plus the prorated rent for June, on two commercial offices spaces (Suites 130 and 140) at the mall.
The mall’s motion for a summary judgment against Burbrella to recover $41,016.45 in outstanding monthly lease payments, plus attorneys’ fees and court costs, is currently scheduled to be heard in superior court early next month.
The private school had been operating since 2023 out of two commercial offices several doors down from the Dunham’s sporting goods store.
Burbrella Learning Academy (“Burbrella”) was ordered to vacate both locations at Holly Hill Mall by June 21, 2025 due to nonpayment and breach of the leases, based on a demand letter included in the court file.
Burbrella subsequently announced in late August the purchase of a new location in Whitsett, which would serve as the school’s 2.89-acre campus.
Burbrella never filed a response to the lawsuit, according to the mall’s motion for a summary judgment.
Burbrella originally opened in 2023 for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, according to a feature story about the school and its founder and CEO, Dominque Burgess, published by the Cato Institute in September 2023.
Microschools are a sort of one-room schoolhouse for the 21st Century, typically offering much smaller class sizes than conventional private, public, and charter schools. The schedule and curriculum is tailored to fit the needs of each class, according to a description from EdChoice, a nonprofit organization in Indiana that advocates for educational choice for K-12 students and families.
Burbrella has approximately 57 students enrolled, based on the latest information available from state education agencies.
The private microschool had received $196,072 in state funding in 2024-25 and $29,214 in 2023-24 through the Opportunity Scholarship program, which is intended to offset the costs of students’ tuition, according to the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA), which administers the scholarship program.
As of October 6, Burbrella had not received any state funding for the current school year through the Opportunity Scholarship program, according to the NCSEAA.
The private school’s annual tuition and fees for the 2025-26 school year range between $6,000 and $10,425 per student in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, according to a schedule of tuition and fees posted on the school’s website.
Microschool opens in new location for 2025-26
Burbrella purchased a former insurance office, just across the county line at 7261 Burlington Road and an adjoining lot for $975,000, according to a deed that was filed in mid-August with Guilford County’s Register of Deeds’ office to consummate the transaction. The property is near the Walnut Crossing subdivision in Whitsett.
The purchase of the home and lot in Whitsett was financed through a $775,000 loan from Fidelity Bank and a future advance of $280,695.35 from the Piedmont Triad Regional Development Corporation in Kernersville, according to documents that were filed in August with Guilford County’s Register of Deeds.
Both notes were secured by a deed to the property.
Meanwhile, Burgess has also been evicted from a townhome at 2155 Rose Quartz Avenue at the Rosemary Glen townhome development in Whitsett for failing to pay $4,231.61 in past due rent, based on a judgment that a Guilford County magistrate judge announced in small claims court on October 8, 2025, according to that court file.
Burgess lived a half-mile away from Burbrella’s new location in Whitsett.
Founder calls on legislators to expand support for microschools
More recently, Burbrella’s founder wrote an opinion piece published on October 10 by Carolina Journal, in which she called on state legislators to expand state funding for school choice and to “explicitly recognize microschools and small private schools in statute, funding, and regulation.”
Burbrella is the only current or former tenant that Holly Hill Mall has sued and evicted over unpaid rent, according to Alamance County civil court files. The mall is being represented by the Vernon Law Firm in Burlington.
