New independent school to offer mixed-age, one-room model

A Sioux Falls family plans to open an Acton Academy this coming school year.

The Acton network includes more than 240 schools worldwide, accredited through the International Association of Learner Driven Schools.

The Sioux Falls location is described as a one-room, mixed-age model. Owners Aaron and Ashlee Johnson said they’re waiting to gauge enrollment before committing to a site but plan to be on the south side of the city.

“As a family, we wanted more than the ‘learning to know’ education our children were receiving,” Aaron Johnson said in a statement. “We set out on a journey to uncover other education options, and it’s because of the learner-driven design at Acton that we decided to open an academy in the Sioux Falls community.”

Acton Academies are “learner-driven communities where students take ownership and responsibility of their education and peer relationships,” according to information about the program.

“Instead of a teacher/classroom environment, learning is facilitated by a guide, whose job is to provide challenges, frameworks, processes, tools and world-class examples for learners and to shepherd the energy of the learning community and showcase a growth mindset.”

Acton Academy Sioux Falls will offer four studios: Elementary, age 7-12, opening in August; Spark, age 4-7, and Middle School, age 12-15, both opening soon after; and Launchpad, age 15-19, after that.

“We believe students should be in charge of their own learning and learn best by doing,” Ashlee Johnson said. “If you believe your children would learn best through failure and solving their own problems, then Acton Academy is for you.”

The Johnsons, who describe themselves as entrepreneurs and lifelong learners, said they found themselves “stuck in the same daily rhythm most of us experience. Wake up, take the kids to school, go to the office, pick up the kids from school, repeat. We decided to stop and reflect on what we were doing.”

That journey led them to discover the Acton model, which also involves schooling 11 months out of the year with extended breaks. Tuition is $700 per month.

“We believe every student who walks through our doors is a genius who is destined to change the world,” they said.

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