Academics

 The mission of Fortitude Preparatory Academy is to provide learners with skills for life and to empower learners to be authentic individuals who value diversity, engage in environmental stewardship, and pursue social justice throughout their lives.

Our Learning Model


Education at Fortitude Preparatory Academy is designed to prepare learners for whatever their futures may hold. 


To this end, academic disciplines are partnered with life & career skills and character development through personalized learning plans and interdisciplinary projects.  Everyone can learn, but individuals rarely learn best in the same way, in the same setting, and at the same pace.  By using a competency-mastery approach, the curriculum is both rigorous and flexible.


  • Learners at Fortitude Prep complete Units of Study and demonstrate mastery of 7 cross-cutting areas:
  • Well-being competency (includes Mental and Physical Well-being & Meta-learning)
  • Global and Cultural competency
  • Ethical and Environmental competency
  • Societal competency (includes Civic Engagement & Leadership)
  • Digital competency (including Coding Logic, Media Literacy, & Graphic Design)
  • Interaction competency (includes Collaboration, Communication, Expression)
  • Multi-disciplinary and Creative competency (includes Critical Thinking, Reasoning, Problem-solving, & Creativity)
  • Units of Study are comprised of modules from one or more of the 7 core subject areas:
  • English Language Arts
  • Maths (Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Statistics, etc.)
  • Natural & Integrated Sciences (Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Forensics Science, etc.)
  • Social Studies & Social Sciences (Global History & Economics, Human Geography, U.S. History & Government, African American Studies, etc.)
  • Health
  • Arts
  • Foreign Languages (Survey of Global Languages, etc.)
  • Learners will use systems thinking, design thinking, and computational thinking to deepen their understanding of themselves, their world, and the broader world.
  • Learnervoice is encouraged.  For example, learners can propose Units of Study and/or modules based on their interests.
  • Learners will utilize a variety of online and physical resources as tools for both learning and demonstration of mastery.
  • Learners are expected to work independently with guidance and support from instructors.


The Fortitude Preparatory Academy Learning Model is based on a fusion of cutting-edge education research, models, and frameworks, including Project 21 and the Center for Curriculum Redesign.  It also has a basis in democratic and progressive education practices.