(Santa Barbara, Calif. – February 22, 2022) Families seeking a personalized and accredited school for their middle and high schoolers that is equally focused on academic progress and social and emotional health can look forward to Fusion Academy opening its door here in May.
“We are excited to bring the nation’s most engaging education model to Santa Barbara,” said Fusion Academy Head of School Shayne Horan, EdD. “The pandemic illustrated the importance of an education model that puts students’ needs first. Fusion’s time-tested model has been focused on students first for decades.”
Founded in San Diego, California in 1989, Fusion Academy’s approach to learning is grounded in its one-to-one model of one teacher to one student, with different teachers for different classes. Fusion Academy Santa Barbara is the 19th California campus and the first campus in the state to offer a new flexible learning model that combines three learning modalities including one-to-one learning, small learning project-based groups, and asynchronous digital instruction. The campus will be located on the second floor of 510 State Street and is expected to open in May. Families interested in learning more can register for a virtual Open House March 15, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. PST.
Fusion’s model of tailoring students learning journeys according to their strengths and learning preferences ensures students master subjects at their own pace. Fusion works with students in three key areas to help them develop the self-determination they need to be successful adults in society, these areas include self-confidence, self-advocacy, and goal setting. This approach better prepares students academically, socially, and emotionally for their future. Fusion Education Group student and parent surveys show dramatic increases in academic engagement, positive relationships, and emotional support:
- 97% of parents report their child has positive relationships with their teachers.
- 87% of students feel that the adults on campus really care about them.
- 83% of students report feeling comfortable being themselves.
- 83% of parents agree their child seems more confident since joining the school.
These improvements are the primary reasons that parents are so satisfied with Fusion; parent satisfaction scores for the 2020-2021 academic year were the highest to date and exceeded equivalent customer satisfaction scores of global brands like Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Coca-Cola.
Fusion Academy student schedules are customized, so students take classes at a time of day that works best for them. Athletes, actors, and students with extracurricular passions can schedule school around their life instead of the other way around. Other students who attend Fusion include gifted or accelerated students, students with mild learning differences, or anyone looking for a more personalized learning environment.
Fusion Academy utilizes an array of assessment tools to create a custom learning roadmap for students. Upon enrollment, Fusion administers the Measures of Academy Progress (MAP®) and Mindprint assessments, which help students understand their level of mastery, as well as how they process information, how their memory works, and how they reason. Horan is currently offering complimentary assessments as part of families considering enrollment at the Fusion Academy Santa Barbara campus.
“This information is incredibly powerful for students and teachers. When the team understands why and how a student learns, they are both empowered to teach and learn in a way that aptly positions students in the driver’s seat of their learning journey,” said Horan.
Each Fusion campus features a Homework Café space where students complete their homework before leaving for the day and learn to prioritize assignments and effectively manage their time. There is also a Social Café, which serves as the student social hub; where students gather for meetings., participate in clubs, and engage with their peers. Fusion campuses feature a state-of-the-art recording studio, a mixed-media art studio, and a science lab equipped with college-level tools and resources. Fusion Academies are intended to remain small, serve as a haven from large traditional schools, and rarely exceed 100 students. Students can attend Fusion full-time for middle and high school, part-time for tutoring, classes for credit, and college counseling. Fusion students have been accepted to more than 200 unique colleges and universities, many being their first-choice school.
“Every Fusion student’s journey is different,” said Fusion Academy Head of Educational Programs Samantha Prins, “At Fusion students build a self-awareness and acquire self-confidence that allows them to engage with learning in ways they have never experienced before. We are privileged to partner with families on their student’s learning journey and provide a world-class customized education.”
Families wanting to explore Fusion’s flexible learning model can enroll their students in an array of summer programs that ensure students get their downtime while also getting a leg up on their next academic year. Fusion creates schedules that work around families’ summer plans. Fusion offers more than 250 classes that are available for in-person, virtual, or hybrid learning. Programs focus on three core areas:
- Remediation: Fusion offers students classes for credit and tutoring to fill learning loss gaps, recover failed credits, or rebuild a learning foundation.
- Accelerate: Students can continue advanced learning with classes for credit in a personalized, one-to-one setting at an accelerated pace.
- Build Key Life and Organization Skills: Students can sharpen skills with Fusion’s unique Skill Launch Camps designed to build necessary skills for student success.
“I encourage parents who are considering summer learning to try one of our summer programs and experience what other families have: Kids truly wanting to attend summer school,” Horan said.
###
About Fusion Academy:
Fusion Academy Santa Barbara is one of more than 65 schools serving grades six through 12 that provide quality individualized education. Fusion Academy is part of Fusion Education Group, an organization committed to providing accredited personalized education and includes Futures Academy, which offers one-to-one and small group instruction at 15 California campuses, Barnstable which offers traditional college-prep in a small school setting in New Jersey, and Fusion Global Academy which offers one-to-one personalized education for middle and high school students through a completely virtual campus that currently serves students in the United States and 18 additional countries. Learn more about Fusion Academy Santa Barbara here.
Media contact:
Fusion Education Group
Karen Craven
Head of Strategic Communication
(773) 230-8785 | kcraven@fusionacademy.com
