Read our founders' story

In 2021, Lindsey and Janet met during their search for a suitable high school options in Jacksonville for our sons.

Our boys were smart, motivated learners, but did not thrive in traditional classrooms. 

We had found options for elementary and middle school. But our only high school options were:

 Rigorous academic programs designed for accelerated and gifted students, 

 Schools for students with special needs or 

 Schools with little academic challenge and too many behavioral and social problems. 

Through our research life experiences, we knew there were better options out there, that made it impossible to settle.  Interestingly enough, when we enrolled our first families, all of them were entrepreneurs, educators or both – parents who don’t settle for the status quo or keeping up with the jones’.

Lindsey is a mom of three. Her oldest was, and is at Episcopal, and her oldest two (and she herself) had previously attended catholic school, so she knew those schools were the same methods we had thirty years ago, except now with:

 More APs, more pressure, more sitting, listening, writing, testing

 More homework, memorizing, studying, tutors and stress

 More pressure to get into “those” schools

She also had been an educator, herself, and knew that the prestige and price tag of the “elite” private schools did not mean the teaching was “elite”

Her children thrived at schools where:

 It was about learning instead of teaching:

 The goal was not “getting in” somewhere, but about developing young students into successful adults

 Teaching and learning approaches were not just “what we’ve always done”, but meticulously curated based on how students learn best

Janet is also a mom, and a local therapist, after being a school counselor and getting her doctorate in educational leadership.  She also attended an elite high school, herself, and saw that results from those schools are more often about the students and resources vs the teaching, with tuition going to facilities and extra-curriculars than teaching and learning.

As a local therapist, she saw teenagers with anxiety, depression, health issues, eating disorders, not from family issues, but from the school pressure of the elite schools and with depression, health issues, alcohol, drugs, school refusal at the local schools.  

Seeing our boys in traditional and innovative schools in their younger years, we knew that sending our boys to the existing traditional options in Jacksonville would be harmful to them and to our families.  And so we started down a two year path that lead to the opening of Colossal Academy Jacksonville in August 2024.

We started by sharing what had and hadn’t worked for us in schools and what we thought would be better.

We wanted our boys to learn, not memorize.  We wanted learning to be rigorous but fun, and school to be a place they wanted to be - a place where they developed GRIT, confidence, leadership, problem-solving, collaboration, self-awareness, discipline, responsibility and the skills  and tools to be successful in life – all the things we wished we learned in high school – how to do your taxes and manage your finances, how to fix a tire or sew a button…  

We researched everything we could and consulted with every expert we could find.  And we found that every school that was showing exciting results all did the same things – the same thing we had imagined:

 Project-based, hands-on, relevant learning

 Mastery-based learning

 Connection between high school, college and the community including entrepreneurship and internships

 Focus on an encouraging, engaging learning environment

 Life skills

This is when we knew we were on to something, and this is the foundation of Colossal Academy Jacksonville today.

If your child thrives at a traditional school, we are so happy for you.  Every young person deserves a school where they thrive and belong.  We have no interest in convincing anyone.

If your child doesn’t thrive in the existing options through memorizing and testing, under pressure.  If your child doesn’t take lockdowns and active shooter drills in stride.  If your child learns differently but doesn’t fit at a Greenwood.  If you see what is needed to succeed in this day and age, look at your school options and shake your head in disbelief or are determined to prepare your child for life.  Take a tour. Talk to Lindsey and Janet.  Talk to our first-year families and teachers.  Let’s see if Colossal might be for you.