Tahoe Expedition Academy

My kids have been at TEA for 8 years. They love going to school every day! How many middle schoolers you know LOVE to go to school? Our kids feel loved by the faculty and staff, they learn by doing real things (not made up busy work); the faculty has outside experts come into the classroom or the class goes to visit them, field studies are part of the curriculum (not an excuse to get off campus), and then there are the adventures. Kids start off close to home in elementary school studying things like stream ecology, but by the senior year of high school they are designing their own international travel experiences (logistics and learning targets included). If your kid graduates from TEA, they will not have taken 18 AP courses, but they will be ready for whatever the world has to throw at them.

We moved from San Francisco specifically to provide our daughters with the opportunity to attend Tahoe Expedition Academy. Having worked in Bay Area schools as a mental health clinician for over 15 years, I have been increasingly worried about our nationwide youth mental health crisis. Students may be churning out excellent report cards but they are suffering tremendously with mental health issues. There is a way to raise healthy, resilient, happy youth that enjoy the journey of education vs focusing on a future goal that may not reap expected benefits. Research and experience highlight the need to reimagine education, as TEA has done. TEA's admin, faculty and staff worked tirelessly to accommodate families' differing needs during COVID. TEA's ability to adapt quickly allowed them to focus on social/mental wellbeing while continuing to provide quality education. We are so grateful for how much our 3rd and 6th graders have thrived during COVID. We can't wait to see what is in store for next year and beyond!

We have 2 girls at the Tahoe Expedition Academy (TEA). Our eldest is graduating this year after 4 years at TEA and has been accepted to all her first college choices. TEA gets students to think outside the box through real-world learning, adventure trips and challenging/fun field trips that build character. The teachers are passionate about what they do and it rubs off onto the kids - and the small class sizes allow for more one-on-one learning. I would recommend any parent to review TEA as an option for their child if they desire a more mind expanding option for learning.

This is our son's second year at TEA (4th grade now), and we couldn't be more pleased with the experience and his daily enthusiasm and growth. Our goal with our son has always been to nurture a beautiful, well-rounded, empathetic, curious, confident and intelligent human being - and TEA is an instrumental component and complement to our approach. He is known deeply (and loved deeply) by all of the staff at TEA. They know his academic strengths and areas for growth, but equally importantly they know his character, his fears, where he can be pushed, and when he needs support. No longer is he in a class doing endless worksheets, but rather he is growing academically by leaps and bounds, all while findings his voice, challenging his own ideas and pre-conceived notions of the world, learning what it means to be crew-member (i.e. community member) and finding his meaning and purpose in this beautiful/crazy world we live in. For this we are forever grateful!

My two kids have attended TEA for the last ten years. Where to begin... TEA has been the best for both my kids socially, emotionally and academically. They are better critical thinkers and investigators, more resilient, confident, and empathetic human beings because of the education at TEA. They dive deep into real world problems, regularly interact with experts, are encouraged to take on hard projects where "failure" is part of the process, make time to reflect and self assess, are taught to be contributors, and are known and cared for by their teachers. I wouldn't want any other education for my kids.

We enrolled our kids (4th and 5th grades) at TEA last Fall after 4 years at another public school elsewhere in Northern California. We were very curious about TEA's radical approach to education and we are so glad we went for it! Our kids have experience personal growth like never before. They have become more responsible outside of school, they are much more physically fit because of TEA's extensive outdoor learning, and they are much happier and healthier kids. Despite COVID restrictions, TEA has been able to successfully provide in-school learning this year. TEA is not a college prep school; it's a life prep school. It's a great choice for families seeking an education that develops character, adaptability in an ever changing world, outdoor learning, compassion, and intellectual curiosity.

It sounds cliche but it's hard not to think "why couldn't I have gone to a school like this" after being part of this school community for a year. Our daughter has been at TEA for 4 years now and has certainly learned all of the "common core" stuff. But she's also become an advocate for the environment, is willing and able to have adult conversations about very adult topics (immigration, gun control, climate change) and has met with countless experts across agriculture, environmental sustainability, even NASA JPL!