Our Ethos
Ethos for Eagles
At Acton Academy Columbus, being an Eagle means stepping boldly into your own learning journey. Eagles learn to lead themselves — setting goals, managing their time, and taking ownership of the challenges they choose to pursue. Instead of waiting to be told what to do, they practice initiative, curiosity, and craftsmanship every single day.
Our Eagles support each other, call out the good, and collaborate to solve real-world problems. They learn to give and receive thoughtful feedback, celebrate hard work, and push through struggle with courage. Whether building projects, engaging in Socratic discussions, exploring nature, or contributing to the studio community, Eagles rise to the challenge of becoming their best selves.
Above all, an Eagle embraces the Hero’s Journey: discovering personal gifts, developing strong character, and making a meaningful impact on the world.
Ethos for Guides
Guides at Acton are not traditional teachers — they are coaches, mentors, and champions of learner independence. Rather than giving answers, Guides ask powerful questions that spark thinking and unlock creativity. They create intentional systems, processes, and rhythms that allow learners to take charge of their education with clarity and confidence.
A Guide’s role is to protect the culture, hold high expectations, and ensure that each learner is both supported and challenged. They trust deeply in a child’s ability to grow, even when the path looks messy, and they step back so learners can step up. Through connection, accountability, and thoughtful encouragement, Guides empower learners to own their struggles, celebrate their wins, and discover who they are becoming.
Great Guides don’t lead from the front — they lead from the side.
Ethos for Parents
At Acton Academy Columbus, parents are essential partners in the learning process. The Parent Ethos invites families to embrace curiosity, patience, and trust—trust in their child’s growth, trust in the Acton process, and trust in the long game of character development. Parents support their children not by directing them, but by offering encouragement, boundaries, and opportunities for responsibility at home.
We ask parents to model what we value: lifelong learning, constructive communication, honest reflection, and a bias toward action. Together, we build a community rooted in shared values — where families support each other, celebrate each learner’s journey, and strengthen the culture that makes Acton a special place.
When parents, learners, and Guides walk in alignment, extraordinary growth happens.
Our Mission, Beliefs, Promises
Our mission at Acton Academy Columbus is to provide a learner-driven, high-expectation environment where each child discovers a calling that can change the world. We believe children are far more capable than society gives them credit for — and that with the right environment, they grow into independent thinkers, courageous problem-solvers, kind community members, and self-driven learners.
We believe learning should be meaningful, hands-on, and rooted in real-world challenges. We believe in mixing Montessori principles, Reggio-inspired creativity, modern tools, and Acton’s Hero’s Journey framework to create a school built for the 21st century. We believe character is just as important as academics — maybe even more so.
Our promise is simple:
We will honor your child’s journey.
We will challenge them, support them, and empower them.
We will cultivate a community where ownership, curiosity, and courage are the norm.
And we will prepare them not just for school — but for life.