Apex Academy K–12
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Give your child a world-class education — without the walls

A fully accredited Pre-K–12 virtual school delivering rigorous, credit-bearing courses in every core subject and foreign language — weaving IB, UDL, SEL, TAG, Common Core, and MESA into one inclusive, interdisciplinary education that prepares every learner for college, career, and a life of innovation.

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Apex Academy K–12

"Every learner deserves a curriculum that challenges them at the right level and never once lets them believe they've hit their ceiling."Pauline Smith EdD

What you'll learn

What you'll be able to do

  • Earn accredited, transcript-ready credits in every core subject and foreign language across all 13 grade levels, fully aligned to U.S. Common Core State Standards and the IB framework.
  • Apply challenge-based learning and Odyssey of the Mind creative problem-solving to design real-world solutions in STEM, humanities, and the arts.
  • Demonstrate mathematical proficiency through the Standards for Mathematical Practice and MESA project pipelines — from number sense in Pre-K to calculus and engineering design in Grade 12.
  • Access a universally designed learning environment where scaffolded instruction, assistive tools, and TAG extensions ensure every learner thrives at the right level of challenge.
  • Build measurable social-emotional competencies — self-regulation, collaborative leadership, and cross-cultural empathy — woven into daily coursework rather than treated as an add-on.
  • Graduate college-, career-, and innovation-ready with a verified portfolio of interdisciplinary projects, IB-aligned assessments, and documented SEL milestones that stand out to universities and employers.

How it works

A school that adapts to you

This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.

We learn your level

A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.

Lessons adapt as you go

Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.

Your AI coach keeps you moving

Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.

The curriculum

What's inside your school

8 modules · 28 lessons

1

Foundations of Literacy & Communication (Pre-K–Grade 2)

Establishes the essential literacy and oral language prerequisites upon which all other academic learning is built. Grounded in U.S. Common Core ELA Standards, UDL principles (multiple means of representation and expression), and SEL integration, this module develops phonemic awareness, early decoding, storytelling, and cross-text comprehension in a joyful, inclusive virtual environment. TAG extensions offer advanced text complexity and creative writing challenges; scaffolds ensure access for emerging readers. Early world-language exposure is woven throughout to build cross-cultural empathy from day one.

  • 1.1Phonemic Awareness & DecodingIncluded
  • 1.2Oral Language, Storytelling & Early WritingIncluded
  • 1.3Reading Comprehension Across Text TypesIncluded
  • 1.4World Languages Immersion — Early Exposure (Pre-K–Grade 2)Included
2

Intermediate Literacy, Research & Global Studies (Grades 3–5)

Bridges foundational literacy into disciplinary reading, evidence-based argumentation, and information literacy demanded by middle and high school. Fully aligned to CCSS ELA Grades 3–5 and the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) transdisciplinary framework, this module deepens comprehension of complex texts, introduces structured research methodology, and places local and global issues at the center of inquiry. SEL competencies of perspective-taking, responsible decision-making, and collaborative leadership are practiced through Socratic seminars and collaborative research projects. UDL scaffolds and TAG depth-of-knowledge extensions ensure access and stretch for all learners. Foreign language instruction advances to a Novice–Intermediate bridge, building on early exposure.

  • 2.1Argumentative Reading & Evidence-Based WritingIncluded
  • 2.2Research Skills & Digital Information LiteracyIncluded
  • 2.3Global Studies, Culture & Social-Emotional EmpathyIncluded
  • 2.4Foreign Language Proficiency — Novice to Intermediate Bridge (Grades 3–5)Included
3

Middle School Humanities, Social Studies & Ethics (Grades 6–8)

A dedicated Grades 6–8 humanities module — a critical gap in the draft curriculum, which jumped from Grades 3–5 directly to a Grades 9–12 humanities module with no middle-school bridge. This module covers world history, geography, civics, economics, and ethics through the lens of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) Individuals and Societies framework, CCSS Literacy in History/Social Studies standards, and challenge-based learning. SEL competencies of collaborative leadership, ethical reasoning, and cross-cultural empathy deepen through Socratic seminars, simulations, and interdisciplinary inquiry. MESA and Odyssey of the Mind challenges connect humanities content to real-world problem-solving and creative expression. TAG depth extensions and UDL scaffolds are embedded throughout.

  • 3.1World History & Geographic Inquiry (Grades 6–7)Included
  • 3.2Civics, Economics & Democratic Participation (Grades 6–8)Included
  • 3.3Philosophy, Ethics & Theory of Knowledge — Middle School Entry (Grade 8)Included
4

Mathematics: Number Sense Through Algebraic Reasoning (Pre-K–Grade 8)

Delivers a coherent, vertically aligned mathematics progression from Pre-K number sense through Grade 8 algebraic reasoning and statistics, fully aligned to U.S. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and all eight Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP). The MESA project pipeline is embedded as a recurring challenge context, grounding abstract mathematics in engineering and environmental problem-solving. IB MYP Mathematics 'global contexts' provide interdisciplinary connections. UDL strategies — manipulatives, multiple representations, flexible grouping — and TAG acceleration pathways (Algebra I entry available by Grade 6 for qualifying students) ensure all learners are appropriately challenged. SEL: productive struggle, growth mindset, collaborative mathematical discourse.

  • 4.1Number Sense, Operations & the Standards for Mathematical PracticeIncluded
  • 4.2Fractions, Ratios & Proportional ReasoningIncluded
  • 4.3Geometry, Measurement & Spatial ReasoningIncluded
  • 4.4Algebraic Thinking, Functions & Data ReasoningIncluded
5

High School Mathematics, STEM & Engineering Design (Grades 9–12)

Delivers a rigorous, college- and career-ready STEM sequence fully aligned to CCSS High School Mathematics standards, all eight Standards for Mathematical Practice, the MESA engineering design pipeline, IB Mathematics and Sciences courses (Analysis & Approaches and Applications & Interpretation tracks), and computer science/AI literacy. Challenge-based learning and Odyssey of the Mind creative problem-solving are the primary instructional modes for complex STEM projects. UDL supports scaffolded access; TAG extensions enable IB Higher Level mathematics and independent research. SEL: collaborative leadership in engineering teams, intellectual resilience through open-ended problem-solving, ethical responsibility in technology.

  • 5.1Advanced Algebra, Pre-Calculus & CalculusIncluded
  • 5.2Integrated Science: Biology, Chemistry & PhysicsIncluded
  • 5.3Computer Science, AI & Data ScienceIncluded
  • 5.4IB Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge & Senior Capstone PortfolioIncluded
6

Humanities, Social Studies & Ethics Across All Grades

Delivers a vertically coherent, CCSS-aligned and IB-integrated humanities sequence spanning all 13 grade levels — from early community and civics concepts through high school philosophy and Theory of Knowledge. This module preserves the user's original structure and fills the critical gap of explicit Grade 3–8 civics and social studies sequencing, which the draft implied but did not detail. Challenge-based learning, Odyssey of the Mind, and SEL are woven throughout. UDL and TAG extensions ensure the humanities curriculum challenges every learner. Note: Grades 3–5 global studies are housed in Module 2; Grades 6–8 humanities are in Module 3; this module focuses on Grades 9–12 advanced humanities while providing connecting threads across all grades.

  • 6.1Civics, Government & Democratic Participation (Grades 3–12)Included
  • 6.2World History, Economics & Interdisciplinary Inquiry (Grades 6–12)Included
  • 6.3Philosophy, Ethics & Theory of Knowledge (Grades 9–12)Included
7

Arts, Physical Education & Social-Emotional Learning as Core Disciplines

Positions the visual arts, music, drama, physical education, health, and SEL as rigorous, credit-bearing core disciplines — not electives or enrichment add-ons — aligned to National Core Arts Standards, SHAPE America PE standards, IB Arts and Physical and Health Education curricula, and the CASEL SEL framework. Odyssey of the Mind provides authentic performance contexts for creative arts; MESA and challenge-based learning connect arts to STEM through design thinking. UDL ensures every student can access and excel in arts and PE regardless of physical ability or prior experience. TAG extensions deepen artistic inquiry and competitive performance opportunities. SEL is explicitly taught, practiced, and assessed as a discipline, with documented milestones that appear on the transcript and in the Senior Capstone Portfolio.

  • 7.1Visual Arts Studio & IB Arts Inquiry (All Grades)Included
  • 7.2Music, Drama & Performing Arts (All Grades)Included
  • 7.3Physical Education, Health & Embodied SEL (All Grades)Included
  • 7.4Structured SEL: Self-Regulation, Leadership & Cross-Cultural Empathy (All Grades)Included
8

World Languages: Full K–12 Proficiency Sequence

A critical gap in the draft curriculum: while the draft included World Languages Immersion in Module 1 (Pre-K–2) and a Novice-to-Intermediate bridge in Module 2 (Grades 3–5), it did not include a Grades 6–12 world language continuation sequence, leaving students without a coherent language-learning pathway to IB Language Acquisition or AP language proficiency. This dedicated module completes that pathway — from Intermediate through Advanced proficiency — across four parallel language tracks (Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic), aligned to ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, IB Language Acquisition Phases 3–5, and CCSS Literacy standards where applicable. Each course is credit-bearing and transcript-ready. SEL: cross-cultural empathy, identity and linguistic confidence, global citizenship.

  • 8.1Intermediate Language Proficiency — Communicative Competence (Grades 6–8)Included
  • 8.2Advanced Language Proficiency & IB Language Acquisition (Grades 9–12)Included

Who it's for

Is this you?

Parents of gifted learners

Your child has already outpaced their grade-level class — TAG extensions and IB-aligned challenge keep them genuinely stretched, not just busy.

Globally mobile families

With IB frameworks, U.S. Common Core alignment, and a fully virtual format, transcripts travel as smoothly as your family does.

Parents of diverse learners

UDL-built lessons mean your child gets real scaffolding and genuine challenge — not a watered-down track — from Pre-K all the way through Grade 12.

College-bound high schoolers

Calculus, IB Extended Essay, AI and data science, and a verified senior capstone portfolio give you a transcript and a body of work that universities notice.

Early childhood families

Story-driven phonics, oral language, and world language immersion from Pre-K build the literacy foundation that makes every later subject click.

Homeschooling parents

Fully accredited, credit-bearing, and sequenced Pre-K through Grade 12 — the academic backbone your homeschool has been looking for, with room to personalize.

Questions

Frequently asked

Your teacher

A note from your teacher

Pauline Smith EdD

Pauline Smith EdD

I know what it feels like to look at your child — bright-eyed, curious, maybe a little different from the crowd — and wonder whether the school down the street is really going to see them.

Maybe your fourth-grader has already lapped the curriculum and is quietly bored. Maybe your middle schooler learns differently and keeps getting handed accommodations instead of actual challenges. Maybe your family moves every two years and you're exhausted by the patchwork of transcripts and gaps. Or maybe you simply believe your child deserves something more coherent, more ambitious, and more human than a one-size-fits-all classroom can offer.

That's exactly why Apex Academy exists. We built a Pre-K through Grade 12 education that doesn't make students wait to do real intellectual work. In the early grades, children build genuine literacy — phonemic awareness, oral storytelling, reading across text types — with world language exposure woven in from the very start. By middle school, they're grappling with civics, world history, economics, and ethical philosophy. By high school, they're writing IB Extended Essays, working through calculus and engineering design, studying computer science and AI, and assembling a senior capstone portfolio that shows universities not just what they learned, but how they think. Every step is credit-bearing, every credit is transcript-ready, and the whole sequence is built as one continuous, intentional arc — not a collection of disconnected courses.

What I'm most proud of is that we refused to choose between rigor and inclusion. Universal Design for Learning means every single lesson is architected to scaffold students who need a different entry point and to extend students who need a higher ceiling. Social-emotional learning — self-regulation, leadership, cross-cultural empathy — isn't a Friday add-on. It's inside the history lesson, the math project, the drama rehearsal, the science lab. Because a student who knows how to regulate themselves, collaborate across difference, and persist through a hard problem is ready for college, for career, and for a life of genuine contribution.

If you've been searching for a school that knows your child by name, holds them to a high standard, and gives them the tools to actually meet it — you're in the right place. Come see what a real education looks like.

Pauline Smith EdD

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  • 8 modules, 28 lessons
  • AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
  • Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
  • Your own AI learning coach
  • Learn on any device, at your pace
  • Full access for as long as you're subscribed