Active Leadership Academy is now Hero's Journey: An Acton Academy!

What if children are far more capable than we imagine?

At Hero's Journey, an Acton Academy, we help children create their own path to success by developing the real world skills and character traits that matter most.

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What makes
Hero's Journey Academy, different?

01
Young people doing challenging work at their own pace.
Kids learning at Acton
Acton Campus in Austin
02
Collaborating on real-world projects.
Girl in Acton Campus
03
Earning points for effort and badges for mastery.
04
Sharing learning in a tightly bound community.
05
Using the latest technology to master reading, writing and math.
06
On a Hero’s Journey, with challenges, adventures, fellow travelers and guides.

School Design Comparison

Traditional School

1
Desks in rows with a teacher in front
2
Memorizing rules and facts
3
Report cards and grades measure success
4
One teacher lectures to many students
5
Worksheets like our grandparents used
6
Like a factory - bells, shifts, whistles, one size fits all

Hero's Journey Academy

1
Collaborative work like a tech company
2
Learn real skills and apply them to projects
3
Personalized goal setting and transparent tracking
4
Everyone's a teacher and everyone is a student
5
Cutting edge adaptive game based tech for core skills; professional tools for art, engineering, and storytelling.
6
Like a journey; with big goals, allies, mentors, tools, and a destination that matters.
The Elementary Studio
The Launchpad Studio
The Middle School Studio

Learner-driven communities run by heroes-in-the-making

Self-management and self-governance are celebrated daily by learners who use 21st Century skills to tackle real world projects, inspired by classic heroes in a tightly bound community with extremely high standards.

Learn More About Our Studios

01:21

The Hero's Journey

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Play
Learn more about how Acton Academy turns learning upside down.
"A remarkable book that captures the powerful journeys of Acton Academy’s founders, students, parent community, and — I hope — the future of education around the globe. Any school, whether traditional or innovative, will gain insights from this magical place.”
Ted Dintersmith
Education Author, Film Producer, and Philanthropist

As seen in:

Endorsed by:

Seth Godin

Gary Vee

Sal Khan

Matt Beaudreau

See Why Parents Just Like You Choose Hero's Journey Academy

Our Hero's Learning Model

We believe there are 3 critical “C’s” that help learners build the knowledge, character, and skill they need to be their best, and we structure everything we do to maximize them.

Core Skill

Master foundational subjects at your pace. Emphasize love of learning through hands-on work and adaptive software. Foster learning how to learn, a vital lifelong skill.

Collaboration

Develop socially and emotionally through work and play. Engage with peers across age groups. Empower students to problem-solve, set goals, share ideas, collaborate, and exhibit leadership. Prepare learners for successful collaboration.

Creating

Make tangible projects by hand. Emphasize the journey of discovery over perfection. Embrace learning from failures and successes. Prioritize process over results, enabling students to build meaningful creations.

Our Mission

We believe each person who enters our doors deserves to find a calling and change the world.

"I would never have believed children could learn so much from each other...
until I saw it with my own eyes. The lessons of self-management and self-governance have prepared our fifth-grade daughter to be a lifelong learner.”
Parent, Elementary Studio