Do Nature Academy students receive a high school diploma?
Yes. Course transcripts and high school diplomas are provided for students through an alliance with Global Village School in Ojai, CA.
Are there other schools like the Nature Academy?
Yes. There is an ever-growing network of schools with nature connection at the heart of their programs. Our students periodically join with other teens from the Riekes Center in Menlo Park and Wilderness Youth Project in Santa Barbara for backpacking and camping adventures.
How does math figure into the curriculum?
Nature Academy students frequently “learn by doing” and use applied math to complete hands-on projects. Students also participate in weekly, individualized math instruction. Advanced students have computer programs and textbooks available for self-paced learning. Some students have also attended community college classes.
Do students who receive a Nature Academy diploma go to college?
Yes. The Nature Academy prepares students to be lifelong learners and to make confident educational choices to fulfill their goals.
Does the Nature Academy offer the classes that will qualify students to attend a 4-year university? Do graduates meet Cal State and UC entrance requirements?
Most of our students who wish to enter a 4-year university will do so by attending a community college first. However, our staff is open to working with an individual student/family to access courses not offered through the Nature Academy, such as foreign languages, to allow direct entry into the college or university of the student’s choice.
Do Nature Academy students participate in state testing? How do you measure student progress?
We do not participate in state testing, and our program is not driven by state standards or standardized tests. Because our student: teacher ratio is low, our instructors are able to monitor student progress through observation, interaction, and dialogue with students along with the ongoing evaluation of their work. We keep a portfolio of each student’s academic work.
Are there any entrance requirements? Is the school appropriate for every teen?
We evaluate every application to the Nature Academy on an individual basis. We ask parents and students to respond to questions about their reasons for seeking a non-traditional learning environment. Our director and staff meet with applicants and families to discuss educational needs and goals. We then come to a mutual decision about whether the Nature Academy would be a good match.
Can special needs be accommodated?
We approach each situation individually through our application and interview process. We have worked successfully with a number of students who had experienced learning challenges in public school, especially teens with high activity levels and attention difficulties. We appreciate uniqueness and diversity while remaining mindful of the limits of our expertise.
Do kids of different ages and abilities do the same activities and assignments?
Yes and no. One of the strengths of our learning community is that it is multi-age. The younger or less advanced student learns from peers as much as from the adult instructors. This mutual support and cooperation, which develops in the group as a whole, has a profound effect on each individual’s learning. Frequently, teens participate in group projects with self-selected or assigned individual tasks. Individual projects are designed to allow students to pursue their personal interests in depth. Math, reading, and writing assignments are individualized, but peer tutoring plays a big part in student progress.
How much homework is assigned?
Nature Academy learning involves a great deal of physical activity. Since students are often spent at the end of a day of hands-on learning, homework is thoughtfully assigned as needed to extend learning, prepare for an upcoming project, or complete a long-term assignment. The students maintain a blog for the exchange of information.
What exactly does tuition cover?
Annual tuition pays for everything! Tuition includes staff salaries, books, art supplies, tools, daily transportation, trips and camp-outs, and operating expenses. New opportunities arise every year for outdoor adventures and conferences that might require additional fees.
What is tuition for Nature Academy?
Running such an intensive program with a very small teacher:student ratio, requires a tremendous amount of resources! The cost per student for the full-time (5 days/week) program is $13,100. This cost is entirely inclusive, covering books, materials, transcripts, all trips and transportation and all staff costs.
We realize that many of us are struggling economically right now, and we’d like to do whatever we can to keep our school an option for as many families as possible. Beginning Fall 2011, we are pleased to offer a sliding scale for Nature Academy tuition. Families of Nature Academy students may self-select the tuition for their student, paying anywhere from $7500 – $13,100 per student per year. Tuition may be paid in two equal payments, at the beginning of each semester, or in 10 equal payments at the beginning of each month (August 2011 – May 2012). We trust each family to decide how much of their student’s tuition they can manage to pay for. Outside Now will seek outside funding to make up the difference.
What if a student wants to return to a public school? Is this a problem?
We have had students successfully return to public schools from the Nature Academy. Their transcripts reflect their accomplishments with us. However, since our high school students do not necessarily study academic subjects in the same order as in public schools, they register with the help of the counseling staff at their new school.
