In California, families have long searched for learning environments that match the pace and curiosity of their children. Some students thrive with structure, while others need room to explore within a flexible learning environment. In response to these shifting needs, Elite Academic Academy (www.eliteacademic.com) was founded in 2018 with a clear purpose:to give students a flexible and personalized public education that maintains strong academic standards.
In the last decade, Elite has grown into a Southern California network that serves learners from transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade. Recently awarded Level 3 Marzano certification, Elite Academic Academy offers three programs to serve students in a Flex-based Learning model. Elite’s Homeschool, Flex, and Virtual programs serve students by offering personalized education paths that focus on academic growth, character development, and real-world readiness.
With additional programs that serve students, such as Peak Performance Athletics, Career Technical Education, SOAR Advanced Academics, and VR/AI Learning, Elite continues to raise the bar for innovation in public education.
Academic Structure and STEM Integration
Elite has built its academic model around choice, pacing, and strong teacher support. Students from TK through 12th grade learn through Homeschool, Flex, or Virtual pathways, each offering a clear curriculum and individualized guidance. Elementary students begin with solid literacy and numeracy skills, while middle school introduces deeper projects, SOAR advanced academics, and early STEM through coding and design challenges.
High school learners access UC/CSU A–G courses, dual enrollment college-level courses, and 11 Career Technical Education pathways that connect learning to industry needs. STEM remains present at every level through robotics, medical science, animation game design, VR simulations, and hands-on challenges that build real problem-solving skills.
Leadership and Vision from the CEO
The institute is guided by CEO Ashlea Kirkland-Haynes, a leader who places students at the center of every decision. Her work reflects a belief that each learner brings unique strengths and deserves a pathway designed around those strengths. In her message to families, she reminds them that every child is seen and valued.
Ms. Kirkland-Haynes encourages parents to trust the process of personalized learning and to view flexibility as an opportunity for growth. She shares that Elite prepares students for the world ahead through innovative tools, strong guidance, and programs that inspire curiosity, purpose, and confidence.
Enrollment Growth and Student Community
Elite has grown steadily since its opening in 2018, rising from a few hundred students to more than two thousand learners across eight counties in Southern California. The school serves a wide mix of students, including advanced learners, those needing one-on-one instruction, and students who prefer alternative learning environments to traditional classrooms.
Many come from historically underserved groups and have shown meaningful progress during the course of their education. Maintaining an average high school graduation rate of 94.3%, Elite proves that an alternative learning environment enables students to succeed and progress toward a college education and professional careers.
Supporting Diverse Learners
Elite designs its learning model around the idea that every student arrives with a unique background and interest in learning. Teachers build Individualized Learning Plans that reflect each learner’s goals, pacing needs, and cultural identity. Instruction happens through many formats, including hands-on projects, digital tools, tutoring, small groups, and CTE courses.
Teachers use ongoing data to monitor and adjust their support, whether a student needs intervention or opportunities through advanced academic programs, such as SOAR. Strong relationships, flexible pathways, and family partnerships play a central role. With multilingual communication and culturally responsive practices, the school ensures every learner feels seen and supported.
Student Life and Enrichment
Student life at Elite Academic Academy reflects the school’s flexible model while still giving learners plenty of ways to connect and grow. Students can take part in enrichment activities that spark creativity and build community. They join clubs in areas such as podcasting, creative writing, robotics, filmmaking, and anime.
Outdoor experiences through The Quest Crew club add valuable outdoor education, and the students in the Peak Performance Athletics thrive through mental performance coaching, personalized training plans, and athletic recruitment portfolios. Competitive Esports and wellness opportunities round out a student experience built on passion, purpose, and exploration.
Student Support and Guidance
Elite Academic Academy extends student support well beyond core instruction through a coordinated system of academic guidance, instructional coaching, and family partnership. Academic guidance counselors work closely with students to plan coursework, set meaningful goals, and navigate social-emotional needs, while families remain informed and empowered through webinars on college planning, financial aid, digital citizenship, and effective home learning strategies.
Teachers deliver structured, high-impact academic support through regular check-ins, one-on-one tutoring, small-group instruction, live content sessions, and dedicated academic support hours, allowing them to monitor progress and respond to student needs in real time. This approach is strengthened by intentional professional development that prepares educators to function not only as subject-matter experts but as facilitators of learning, purposefully reducing the teacher footprint and increasing student ownership. Learning Lab Coaches further reinforce this model by providing individualized academic guidance and modeling the school’s commitment to lifelong learning, equity, and closing the achievement gap.
Future Goals and Innovation
Elite is looking ahead with a focus on deeper personalization and stronger college and career preparation. The school plans to expand its career pathways, increase dual enrollment options, and grow the SOAR advanced academic programs, so students graduate prepared with the skills needed to accelerate in this ever-evolving world. Innovation will continue through greater use of VR and AI, along with more real-world learning experiences that build confidence and purpose.
These efforts support critical thinking, communication, and adaptability. The goal is clear. Every student should feel seen, supported, challenged, and ready for the opportunities that wait beyond high school.
The SOAR Advanced Academic Program
The SOAR program gives high-achieving students a place to stretch their abilities and explore advanced learning. Built around Elite’s Portrait of a Learner, otherwise known as the “Six Cs” (Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Curiosity, Creativity, and Compassion), the program supports both academic growth and personal development. Students take part in honors courses across English, science, humanities, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
The Portrait of a Learner serves as the guide for shaping STEM experiences within the SOAR program. Each STEM project is built to strengthen these skills through real-world problem solving and design thinking. Students tackle authentic challenges, whether they are redesigning the Titanic through VR, engineering solutions in our NXTLVL partnership, or studying data in NASA-focused intensives. This approach ensures students do more than understand STEM concepts. They grow into adaptable and thoughtful innovators ready for an evolving world.
The SOAR program uses virtual reality to transform how students explore complex ideas. Through simulations like the Apollo 11 mission and the Titanic investigation, learners step inside historical and scientific moments and study them from multiple angles. They analyze engineering choices, examine human stories, and create their own interpretations across subjects. VR encourages curiosity, design thinking, and creative expression while building digital literacy. These experiences help students see themselves as creators, not just observers, and prepare them for future paths in technology, media arts, engineering, and research.
SOAR also prepares students to use artificial intelligence thoughtfully. Teachers guide learners in treating AI as a partner rather than a shortcut, encouraging them to question outputs, identify flawed logic, and rely on their own judgment. Students practice using internal AI tools that let them experiment safely while protecting their privacy. Through repeated reflection and real-world application, they learn to balance innovation with integrity. This approach strengthens digital literacy, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making, giving students the confidence to navigate a technology-driven future with responsibility and purpose.
In SOAR Storytellers, Elite students experience the full process of creating and publishing original stories. Using the hero’s journey framework, they develop narratives independently or collaboratively to build their voice and teamwork skills. Students then design professional front and back covers in Canva, connecting visual art to storytelling. Many students have expanded into manga, combining writing and illustration to explore pacing and character design. Published works, including Search for Ryder, Fire Dog, and Dreaming of Space, reflect the students’ imagination, dedication, and confidence, demonstrating how creativity is central to the SOAR experience.
In the SOAR program, students use the gamified platform NXTLVL to develop collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Teams work together to solve real-world challenges, navigating increasingly complex levels that require strategy and adaptability. The platform encourages students to think critically under pressure while practicing effective teamwork and clear communication. SOAR teams have competed in global NXTLVL Olympiads, earning awards such as the Communication Award for excellence in collaboration and leadership. Through these experiences, students build confidence, apply academic knowledge in practical ways, and strengthen skills that prepare them for future academic and professional success.
SOAR students at Elite Academic Academy engage in a wide range of enrichment activities that bring learning to life. In science, middle-schoolers collaborate with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to study conservation genetics and polar bear ecology, gaining hands-on experience with lab protocols, field research, and technology in real-world settings. In entrepreneurship, students run virtual businesses through Virtual Enterprise Junior Ventures, managing operations, marketing, and finance while competing with thousands of firms globally.
Additional programs like MOEMS challenge students with advanced math problem-solving, and Model UN immerses them in research, debate, and policy-making, strengthening collaboration, communication, and critical thinking.
Expanding SOAR Enrichment: GeoMath Design Challenge
This spring, SOAR students will participate in the SOAR into GeoMath project, a hands-on design challenge that connects geometry, engineering, and creativity. Over five weeks, students apply concepts like surface area, volume, and coordinate transformations to design and build smartphone case prototypes. Working in collaborative teams, they sketch, measure, and model both digitally and physically, then present their designs and explain their mathematical choices.
The project strengthens problem-solving, critical thinking, and precision while showing how math can drive innovation. GeoMath embodies SOAR’s goal of making learning engaging, practical, and collaborative.
Quote
“Elite continues to be a place where students rediscover belief in themselves. Learners who once felt forgotten find purpose and success.”
