Acton Academy is a 21st century solution for the epidemic of mediocrity and apathy that plagues young people in traditional school. It’s an innovative approach to education that celebrates personal responsibility, creative freedom, and the pursuit of one’s life purpose.
With 300+ worldwide campuses, our Learner-Driven community believes every person is a Hero who deserves to find a calling that will change the world. We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, learning to be. We believe in a closely connected family of lifelong learners. We believe in economic, political and religious freedom. Bound by extremely high standards of excellence and lifelong learning, this is where great adventures begin.
We're Joe, Emily, Katelyn and Michael and we’ve decided to do school “differently” for our children and other children in our community!
through deliberate practice and the latest educational technology
through written promises and commitments that form a tightly bound peer-led community
through hands-on project-based quests that promote curiosity and problem solving.
through deep socratic discussions about history, heroes, and self governance
Acton Academy is “student led.” This means young people take ownership of their education and peer relationships. Acton students learn to think independently, take responsibility and embrace challenge. At Acton Academy, we call our classrooms "studios" because students are learning through movement, exploration and hands-on activities. Studios replace traditional classrooms and create a space for students of varying ages to learn together. They are being prepared to bring their own unique genius to the world.
We believe the learning experience is much richer when the Guide offers insightful questions and facilitates hands-on learning. Guides use the Socratic method, always responding to students questions with new questions. This exchange hones students critical thinking skills. No boring sit in your desk teacher-led lecture-style learning at Acton, we believe students learn by doing. Whether it’s launching a startup business, creating a tide-pool habitat, playing a musical instrument, painting a mosaic, or programming a robot, Acton students are building real-life skills in the studio every day.
We encourage our students to develop personal virtues such as honesty, hard work, responsibility, kindness and empathy. Armed with purpose and good character, we believe our students will launch into adulthood prepared to find their calling and change the world. Acton uses the latest technology in a self-paced learning environment that is designed to foster responsibility, goal-setting and teamwork. Acton students are empowered to thrive in a world that needs independent, motivated thinkers and learners.
As parents to 8 young children between our two families, we have been thinking about education a lot recently. We all attended public school, currently live in a great school district, and have confidence that our children would do fine in that setting. Should we settle for "fine," though? We've heard about the excessive homework and standardized tests that start in the early elementary years. Will this approach adequately prepare our children for a successful, fulfilling life in the 21st century?
As we began searching for answers to these questions, we came across Courage to Grow by Laura Sandefer, Acton Academy Co-Founder. We were intrigued by the innovative school that she and her husband, Jeff, started 10 years ago in Austin, Texas. Instead of an institution, school is viewed as a community of learners who are each on their own "Hero's Journey." The standards are extremely high and nothing short of excellence is acceptable. Success is not about completing worksheets or memorizing facts to pass a test. The goals for students are simple and bold: find a calling and change the world. We want this for our kids and their peers!