When we first started Acton Academy, we only envisioned a small school with a few courageous families who wanted to try something new. We never dreamed that it would grow to fill a large campus, much less that it would blossom into hundreds of schools all across the world.
Our children are now grown and have left the nest. Seeing them living their lives now makes us all the more confident that trusting them and believing in them was worth it.
If you decide to launch one of your own, just know that we are cheering you on. It takes courage and care to launch an Acton, but it matters to every child that will enter your doors.
— Laura and Jeff Sandefer, Founders of Acton AcademyJeff and Laura Sandefer, along with a few fellow parents, host the first Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin, Texas. This one-day event (with just seven young entrepreneurs and about 25 attendees) plants the seeds of Acton's hands-on, entrepreneurial learning approach, showing how real-world challenges can inspire and empower children.
Acton Academy opens its doors in Austin, Texas, founded by parents Jeff and Laura Sandefer. Starting with a small group (including their two sons and a handful of neighborhood children) in a rented house, the school's mission is ‘to inspire each child and parent who enters [its] doors to find a calling that will change the world,’ embracing the Hero's Journey as a guiding educational ethos. From day one, learners take charge of their education through Socratic discussions, self-paced goals, and project-based ‘quests’ instead of traditional lectures.
Demand for Acton's model leads it beyond a single campus. An Acton Academy opens in California (the Venice Beach campus) after a family relocates from Austin, and a family friend launches Acton Academy Guatemala City, Acton's first international affiliate. These early expansions prove that the learner-driven, one-room schoolhouse model can thrive in diverse communities, setting the stage for a growing network of Acton Academies.
To channel the growing interest, Acton Academy holds its first expansion contest to select new founders. Over 70 entries pour in, and winners are awarded the right to open Acton Academies in London (UK), Washington, D.C., and Round Rock, Texas (with one more pending in Chicago). This marks Acton's evolution from a single school into a global network — an awakening in education that learners are capable of ownership of their learning. The original Austin campus becomes a hub for inspiring and equipping new Acton leaders around the world.
By 2016, Acton Academy has spawned a network of more than 10 affiliate schools across the U.S. and abroad (including campuses in Honduras and Guatemala). Another 17 schools — from Chicago to Budapest — are slated to open the next year, reflecting a rapid expansion. Around this time, the flagship campus in Austin expands its studios to serve middle and high school learners, introducing the ‘Launchpad’ high school program. Launchpad apprenticeships and real-world projects where young people tackle apprenticeships and build ventures, extending Acton's learner-driven model through grade 12 and further innovating the learning experience.
Acton's journey and philosophy are shared with the world through the publication of Courage to Grow, written by co-founder Laura Sandefer. Released in 2017, the book Courage to Grow: How Acton Academy Turns Learning Upside Down chronicles the school's origin and its disruptive approach to education. Sandefer's storytelling inspires educators and parents globally, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how Acton's learners ‘take learning into their own hands’ and thrive.
Acton Academy celebrates its 10th anniversary. In just a decade, the movement has grown from one small school to over 100 affiliate schools spanning Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, Malaysia, and more. The learner-driven model — mixing Montessori-style independence with 21st-century technology and Socratic dialogue — has attracted worldwide attention. By 2019, Acton's approach is featured in major media outlets like Forbes and The Huffington Post, highlighting it as an innovative force in K-12 education. What began as an experiment in a small home in Austin is now a global network of families embracing a new way of learning.
When the COVID-19 pandemic upends traditional schooling, Acton Academies demonstrate resilience. Their flexible, learner-driven model allows learning to continue safely in person or online, with learners self-directing their progress. Many families frustrated with remote lectures and closed schools turn to Acton's model. The result is a surge of new Acton campuses and interest in 2020, as the network's growth accelerates in response to the pandemic disruption. Acton's learner-driven approach proves adaptable and empowering during a global crisis, reinforcing its reputation for innovation and real world learning.
Acton Academy's network surpasses 200 independently run campuses across 31 U.S. states and 20 countries. Each affiliate is started by entrepreneurial parents and educators drawn to Acton's mission and learner-driven principles. While each school is unique, all adhere to the core vision of nurturing independent, curious, character-driven learners. This milestone solidifies Acton Academy as a leader in disruptive, 21st century learning models.
Laura and Jeff Sandefer are recognized with the Simon-DeVos Prize for creating change through education — a testament to the global impact of the movement they started in a rented house in Austin.
After more than a decade of building, guiding, and stewarding the Acton Academy movement, founders Jeff and Laura Sandefer formally pass leadership of the global Acton Academy network to Jake Thompson. Having grown his Acton Academy from a single studio into a thriving community and worked closely with owners and guides across the world, Jake steps into stewardship with a focus on preserving Acton's core principles while strengthening support, systems, and collaboration across the network. This transition marks a new chapter—one rooted in the same mission, values, and belief in young heroes, now carried forward by the next generation of servant leadership.
Today, Acton Academy has grown into a worldwide network of 300+ schools in more than 30 countries. The organization continues to innovate with its model of empowering children to take ownership of their learning. Acton Academies are now supported by an international association to maintain high standards and a strong community of practice. The network has earned recognition for reimagining education — proving that a 21st-century one-room schoolhouse can ignite young heroes on a journey to change the world.
