Q: What’s the schedule?

A: We follow the Volusia County Schools academic calendar and meet from 8:30am to 3:30pm Monday-Friday, launching in Fall of 2026. There are no early-release Wednesdays. Fridays are field trip days and may occasionally require an early start and/or late dismissal. During the day students will divide their time between whole-group meetings, small group instruction, and independent work. Each morning will begin with intention setting and activities promoting physical health and mindful awareness.

Q: What’s it cost?

A: Tuition is $9000 per student per school year. The State of Florida’s School Choice Voucher will cover approximately $8000, leaving the average family with an out-of-pocket cost of < $100/month. This extra bit covers fresh cooked meals 4 days per week, weekly field trips, and monthly guest lecturers. Families of means are gently encouraged to fund scholarships for families in need.

Q: Do you accept neuro-divergent students, and students below grade level?

A: Yes! I meet each kid wherever they are and help them find their path forward, whatever direction that may be. One of the advantages of microschooling is the ability to provide individualized accommodations and bespoke learning and working environments.

Q: How many teachers are there?

A: Just me for now. I aim to expand into a proper brick-and-mortar private school in the coming years (where the teacher-student ratio will remain fixed at 1:14), but I will be the sole instructor for this inaugural year.

Q: Are there a lot of tests?

A: Assessments in themselves are not bad things. But, they easily become damaging when they are overused and/or weakly suited to their objective. In our more intimate environment, most assessments can be conducted via observation and presentation. That said, students here will sometimes be exposed to traditional paper and computer-based academic testing, but State-issued progress monitoring and other standardized assessments will be opt-in, and aligned with the student’s Individual Education Plan. Students on a college-bound track will be exposed to more rigorous and frequent assessments than students on a vocational track.

Q: What electives do you offer?

A: The sky is the limit. Students can pursue nearly any subject with independent studies and web-based courses, but traditional live courses will also be offered in: theater, guitar, poetry and creative writing, naturalism, wood work, production design, wilderness survival and bushcraft, sailing, public speech and debate, horticulture, 2D and 3D art, and more!

Q: Is the school politically involved?

A: Yes and no. Teaching civics and media studies in a fact-based manner can feel political in today’s unusual climate. While the school takes no official stance on politics writ large, there are many areas where our rationalist approach undermines contemporary conservative ideology, and a commitment to verifiable truth often contradicts our elected leaders’ public statements. Students will be supported in their independent activism regardless of the cause, provided they can make a sound argument in its favor.

Q: What’s the deal with weekly field trips?

A: Education must go beyond the classroom! Weekly trips to local attractions (primarily parks and wilderness areas, paired with site visits for special topics, such as touring museums, power plants, water treatment facilities, etc.) are included in tuition and serve to extend students’ practical knowledge of local natural features and society’s infrastructure.