Redefine Education for the 21st Century

Acton Cincinnati North
is an innovative elementary school in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Tours

Information Sessions

What makes Acton Cincinnati North different?

Young people doing challenging work at their own pace.

Collaborating on real-world projects.

Earning points for effort and badges for mastery.

Sharing learning in a tightly bound community.

Using the latest technology to master reading, writing and math.

On a Hero’s Journey, with challenges, adventures, fellow travelers and guides.

The Hero's Journey

Redefine Education in Mason, Ohio with Acton Academy

Welcome to Acton Academy North Cincinnati, a school for the 21st century. We're bringing Learner Driven education to Mason, Ohio to prepare children for the complexities of the modern world.

Imagine a unique school with a game-based learning design that develops agency, empathy, mastery, and character at the child's pace, instead of high-stakes testing and rote memorization. Acton Academy's proprietary Learner Driven education system delivers individualized, self-paced core-skills, and project-based learning that matters in the real world.

We value competence over prestige. Acton Academy has been developed and refined by over 300 schools in 37 countries around the world, and we are the 5th Acton to launch in Ohio.

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 and inspired by alternative methods like Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia, we foster a tightly bound community of learners with extremely high standards.

Explore the educational contrasts:

Traditional School

Rows of desks and passive listening
Entire class moves at the same pace
Classes divided by age
Grades, report cards, homework, and standardized tests
Limited recess and exercise
School like a factory with a one-size-fits-all approach and little community involvement
Administration driven

Acton Academy

Active collaborative work on hands-on projects
Individualized to progress at the pace of mastery
Mixed ages together, normalizing interdependence
Set personalized goals and track progressLots of outdoor activities
School like a journey, setting big goals, persevering through setbacks, traveling with a tribe of supportive peers, and connecting with the community
Learner driven

No more hearing your child ask, ‘Is this going to be on the test?’ again! It's time to move past the stress of memorization and test anxiety. Imagine a learning experience where your child is not just filling their brain with temporary information for a test but engaging in something truly meaningful. Join us to restore childhood intrigue, so your child thrives in a way that lasts far beyond the classroom.

Our Studios

For ages 4 to 6

Spark Studio

(Coming soon)

Harness curiosity

Like Maria Montessori, we believe even the youngest child has important work to do, even if the work is imaginary play or working with wood scraps, ladders, and old tires to build a castle.

The Spark Studio is best imagined as a garden where learners embrace Montessori work and Spark Play to learn real-life skills and develop the independence, focus, and kindness needed to enter our Discovery Studio — each child prepared to discover a calling that will change the world.

Spark learners:

Grow curiosity through hands-on projects and outdoor adventure "Spark Play".
Explore mindfulness, natural interests, and music, and have a LOT of fun.
Build the foundations of independent learning, reading, writing, communication, and math.

For ages 6-11

Discovery Studio

(Now enrolling!)

Accomplish important work and play well with others

An Acton Discovery Studio is like a close-knit neighborhood where learners tackle important work, solve problems, collaborate with peers, and engage in increasingly challenging games. Our elementary Discovery studio is about discovering a love of learning and developing skills so that when academics gets tough in middle school, children have developed confidence in tackling new challenges.

Elementary aged learners:

Ask great questions.
Have fun and welcome others.
Set and track goals.
Build a solid foundation in math, reading, writing, and Civilization.
Explore, are curious and develop a love of learning through hands-on project-based learning.

For ages 11-13

Adventure Studio

(Coming soon)

Learn to work hard and do important work

The Acton Academy Adventure Studio is where young heroes learn to work hard, tackle complex computational challenges; communicate clearly and persuasively and develop the passion and real-world skills needed to make a difference in the world.

Middle School learners:

Master core skills (reading, writing, and math) through the latest technology.
Develop critical thinking and an appreciation for heroes and history through Socratic discussions.
Dive deeply into biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, finance and psychology through immersive quests and public exhibitions.
Prepare for the real world through challenging apprenticeships.

Our Mission

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

Learning at Acton Academy Cincinnati North

We believe that learning to be, learning to learn, and learning to do are more important than learning to know.

21st Century Learning

The latest in educational technology for self paced mastery of reading, writing and math skills.
Hands-on project-based Quests to master the tools and skills needed to solve problems in the real world.
Deep Socratic discussions about heroes, history and self-governance to hone critical thinking skills and the ability to powerfully think, write and speak.
Professional tools for art, engineering, tech and storytelling in place of worksheets and busy work.
Written promises and covenants that form a tightly bound community of individuals learning to form authentic friendships and honestly resolve interpersonal problems.

Learn to Learn

Socratic Discussions and self paced challenges equip young heroes to be independent lifelong learners.

Learn to Do

Hands-on Quests for Science, History, Entrepreneurship, and the Arts prepare children for Apprenticeships and real-world challenges.

Learn to Be

The Hero’s Journey, relational covenants and real world consequences transform difficult decisions into virtuous habits.

Measuring Mastery

Young heroes celebrate the mastery of tools, skills, and character by earning badges and taking part in public exhibitions.

Learners achieve master and use badges to track academic progress in Core Skills like reading, writing, math and spelling and earn Servant Leader Badges to track character development.
Young heroes deliver public exhibitions of their work at the end of each four to six week sprint.
Self-management and self-governance skills are measured by peer reviews at the end of each session.

Every year, children build small businesses from the ground-up.

Watch the video to learn about our business fair.

Our Educational Philosophy

We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.

"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.”

Begin your Family's Journey

Now looking for a school location from Fields Ertel, North to Lebanon, between I-71 and I-75.