Acton Academy Marietta

The main issue and downside to AAM is their contract. You are made to pay the full. NONrefundable tuition before your child even steps foot in the school. You will not get any prorate or refund for any reason. I would caution anyone in signing a contract with ANY school that is entirely one-sided, makes no guarantee to your child’s wellbeing- emotional or physical, and allows you no monetary recourse should you move, pull your child from the school or they be dismissed. You can think a contract is extreme but figure it’s ok, it won’t happen to you- until it does, and worse, to your kid. If you’re interested in the Acton unschooling methodology, there are other Acton Academies (beside AAM) and Montessori schools in the area to consider that offer month to month/prorated tuitions and much more ethical contracts.

Our son had an extremely stressful time at AAM. Very small group sizes seem ideal until there is a child, or two, that your child simply can’t escape from which negatively impacts their whole experience.

While I support the Acton model in theory, there are several issues with it in practice, especially depending on your child’s age and the studio they are in. Guides are discouraged from speaking directly to parents. All information about your child’s work, progress and behavior is to come directly from them, and that’s just not a reliable communication method for the younger ages. When there are any issues, you often don’t hear about them for weeks.
Parents were discouraged from having much interaction with other parents- mostly so as to not compare their children’s experiences- since each child is on their own learning journey, but it really leaves you feeling like there is no fellow parent support and you’re not to be included in your child’s school community.