Cortona Academy

My sophomore year I was in all honors classes at a 3000 person public school, passing all my classes with A’s. I was on two varsity teams, but something wasn’t right. I took classes that their only goal was to prepare us for a standardized test that only seemed to evaluates the teachers’ ability to teach. Class sizes were large enough to the point where I was afraid to ask questions out of fear of looking stupid. Now, I go a school with small-individualized classes, where I can go to more in depth areas that are not on the Virginia standardized tests. The teachers are always there for you, and making sure you truly understand the content. The school hours are more individualized, so there is more time to get real life experience, such as volunteer work and internships. For example, I now have the time to go to George Washington University and do nanotechnology research in the afternoons after school. My next step is college, and I don’t think I could be more prepared.

Cortona Academy has helped me a lot, for example, when I was in public school, I was stressed out doing homework and studying for tests. I was failing in English class. When I came to Cortona I knew it was a good fit for me. Cortona has a unique note-taking system, and accommodates students who have different learning styles. One thing that stood out to me was small group classes and one-on-one attention which enables the teacher to focus on you . I also like the fact that if you don't understand something, the teacher will happily explain the concept again. It allows me to get my homework done at school, so I didn't have to be worry about it doing it at home. Cortona has the support and the learning systems to get me ready for a four year college and pursue my dream in dentistry. Cortona has helped me set my future because when I was a public school, I didn't think that college would be in the picture. Now the doors are wide open.

The Cortona Academy faculty and staff help our son succeed by offering a unique teaching environment. The dedicated teaching staff provided a positive and supportive environment which was very flexible in addressing our family situation. In addition, they promote the development of life skills by purposefully pursuing the Congressional award with their students.

I am a current student at Cortona Academy who transferred from a very competitive public high school a few months ago, so I can make a very unbiased review of this school. For students like me, who like working at their own pace and enjoy working on projects outside of school, Cortona is amazing. At my other school, to even consider going to a very competitive college you had to really excel everyone and put in work that wasn't worth losing the high school experience. This is because in the public high school environment it is very difficult to distinguish yourself from the other two thousand kids in your school, and the only way offered is by doing all the AP’s available, joining every club, trying to find ways to obtain as many leadership roles that you can, and somehow prepare for the SAT and get a 2100 or above. Well, that is definitely one way of doing it, but not the way for me and many other students. I enjoy the opportunity to do things that would differentiate me from all my public school peers, get great grades, and still be able to sleep 8 hours at night. Sure, Cortona doesn't have the same private school feel as Phillips Exeter, but Cortona teaches how to learn better than them. Pressure and stress free is almost the motto of the school, and it is much easier to experience learning. Cortona is a perfect match for students like me, but for those who thrive resisting the pressure in public high school and doing unnecessarily large amounts of work, then this school wouldn't be good for them. Cortona also helps you build your resume by helping you find internships and giving you the opportunity to work in the hi-tech facility within the school which houses a quarter million dollars worth of technology. Cortona helps you work to your potential, basically picking your grades by giving you enough time and resources to be good at the course, and by being there for you the entire way. Another thing that is very worth mentioning about this school is that it is a science and technology based school. There are many revolutionary pieces of technology coming through here every day, 3D printers, VR headsets, Robotics, people here even learn how to build computers. We have scheduled project periods to work with an instructor and do projects we enjoy and learn about some piece of technology that can change the world tomorrow.

Questionable ethics, have a lawyer read the contract before signing.