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Acton Academy is founded on the belief that every child is a genius here to change the world. We don't teach personal responsibility, accountability, and cooperation—we give learners the space to practice these skills every day. With guides and guardrails, we're turning education upside down, letting learners lead, and marveling at what our children are truly capable of!
Children are so much more capable than our world trusts them to be. They are naturally curious. They bring a level of grit and resilience to learning that most adults find difficult to match. So why are we putting them in schools designed to make them comply and conform? Why are we more concerned about correct answers than innovative questions? Why aren't we following their lead?
this is where you meet our genius
Interested in Acton?
Interested in Acton?
Welcome to Acton Academy
Acton Academy Disruptive Education
Acton Academy 101
Acton Academy 101
A Day in the Life at Acton
A virtual tour of Acton Academy
Step Inside Acton
Step Inside Acton
what is the hero's Journey?
How Acton shaped Charlie Sandefer's Life
What the Learners Say
What the Learners Say
The Truth About Acton
The Importance of who you become
What the Learners Say
What the Learners Say
how Acton helps learners find themselves
Growing & Learning at acton
What the Learners Say
What the Learners Say
How acton prepares learners for life
how acton is different from traditional school
What the Parents Say
What the Parents Say
a homeschool family's review of Acton
why an acton parent chose to launch an acton
What the Parents Say
What the Parents Say
The Story of Acton Academy
Rethinking education: Geniuses and Heroes
From Our Founders
From Our Founders
The Self-driven child
William Stixrud, Ph.D., & Ned Johnson
The 3 Big Questions for A Frantic Family
Patrick Lencioni
A Thomas Jefferson
Education
Oliver DeMille
Laura Sandefer on Dad Saves America
Jeff Sandefer on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
Jeff & Laura Sandefer on Team Never Quit
Jeff Sandefer on Ready Set Love
Laura Sandefer on Doing Life Differently
Jeff Sandefer on montessori education
Hey there! We are Katy and Richard Cooke—lawyers by trade, parents to Hayden, Scout, and John, and now founders of Acton Academy Davidson. We have always been hard workers and innovative thinkers, but parenthood helped sharpen our focus. As we grew our family, we began to reflect on our own educational experiences and what we wanted for our children. When we discovered Acton Academy, we knew we had found the answer.
Community over competition.
Earned mastery over rote memorization.
Courage and character over standardized test scores.
We couldn't wait to enroll our kids in an Acton near Davidson. But there wasn't one—yet. So we embarked on our own Hero's Journey and brought the school we love to the community we call home.
Lawyers. Parents. Founders.
Hi, we're the Cookes.
