Envision a typical day in a high school math class: students sitting behind desks, laptops or textbooks open, and a whiteboard filled with equations.

Now, picture something entirely different: teenagers pedaling bikes along Denver city streets and mountain trails, and later doing calculations related to speed and tire air pressure. Or teens spending the morning on a rock-climbing wall, and then, in the afternoon, determining the geometry of different angles they summited.

The latter type of learning is the reality for hundreds of students who have participated in programs offered by The Field Academy, a nonprofit that helps young people learn by doing while still earning academic credits. 

The Field Academy partners with public school districts to offer everything from three- to six-day credit-recovery intensives to 12-week full-semester courses in areas such as math, English, science, and the humanities. 

Students learn by participating in activities like bike riding, exploring museums and science centers, making in-person connections with indigenous community members, and talking with small-business owners. Each program is designed to be engaging and meet rigorous curriculum standards.

The Field Academy’s approach is radically different from the standard in-person school setting or the impersonal online credit-recovery modules aimed at students who are behind because of absenteeism or failed classes. Instead, it creates academic environments where students want to participate.

Since knowledge is gleaned in real-life settings, students are more likely to retain the information, said The Field Academy founder Anna Graves.

“We focus on substance,” she explained, adding that if what students are learning doesn’t feel applicable, it may not stick. 

In this process, The Field Academy is providing a possible solution to help address chronic absenteeism, which was at 28% in the 2022–2023 school year, meaning nearly 3 in 10 U.S. students missed 10% or more school days. Students who re-engage through programs like The Field Academy unlock opportunities for graduation, careers, and community leadership.

In contrast, the organization has a 99% attendance rate among students who had previously shown up for less than 40% of classes during the school year. It also has a 100% credit recovery rate among the students who need those academic credits. 

Its secret to success? It meets students where they are, said Graves, noting that the high national absentee rate is a sign that school systems need to introduce alternative learning approaches. 

“There’s no buy-in for top-down solutions, so it’s not viable,” she said.

She likens it to running a business. If a large percentage of customers were simply not showing up, it would be time for that business to revamp its approach.

Building a public alternative to private experiential schools

Graves, whose professional background is in alternative and outdoor education, first envisioned a publicly funded semester school more than a decade ago when she was a college student studying abroad in South Africa. 

About five years ago, she began exploring the idea of creating a charter school. In 2021, she pivoted to the concept of creating a more accessible “traveling school,” where students from different backgrounds could learn and earn credits while they traveled to various locations and participated in hands-on experiences. (While traveling schools and experiential programs for high schoolers do exist, they are often privately funded and cost tens of thousands of dollars.)

Graves then decided to explore offering credit recovery programs, which help give high school students second chances in classes they failed, to students in Colorado. She called school districts in her local Denver area and said, “What if we did a week of only math classes, and kids could make up their credits, but they’re going to travel at the same time?”

Three districts said “yes,” confirming Graves’ hunch that this could work. Those student participants came back with higher math scores than they did before the trip, even outpacing the test group of students who learned online. 

Since then, The Field Academy has rapidly expanded, offering programs for youth seeking academic credit recovery toward a diploma, students who have dropped out and want to re-engage, and those studying for the GED or transitioning into the workforce, among others. It served 300 individuals last year and expects to reach 600 this year through a wide range of experiences, including building affordable housing in Green River, Utah, and studying indigenous communities in New Mexico. 

“It’s 10 times cooler than school,” said one participant, Jovee, who said she learned more about plants during one trip to a botanical garden than she had “in my entire life,” which included a biology class. “This helps bring back my spark and interest in learning.”

Another student, MJ, deemed it “the best way to learn,” adding, “I learn a lot more on these programs than I have in a long time in school.”

The Field Academy currently partners with 19 public school districts, primarily in Colorado, and also runs an open-enrollment option where its programs are free for students. The organization is district-agnostic — it serves students across multiple districts rather than being limited to a single district — providing opportunities for rural communities that could not otherwise support their own alternative schools.

Helping students build confidence and embrace their full potential

In addition to rigorous academics, students build life skills and confidence as they learn within small groups of tight-knit cohorts. They get exposure to a wide range of people, situations, and potential career opportunities, said Graves, noting that the beneficial ripple effect extends far beyond the individual students. This type of holistic learning creates more informed, more resilient students who can then bring positive change to their families, friends, and surrounding communities. 

Looking ahead, she envisions The Field Academy’s district-partnered, publicly funded model scaling nationally. As chronic absenteeism remains high, it’s critical to explore new ways to educate the next generation, she said. And as current efforts to coax students back into school fail, programs like those from The Field Academy can make a significant difference.

“Our model is built on this idea that students have high levels of brilliance. They just need more exposure,” she said. “We build stronger connections and do it in real, contextual ways. I think that’s better than learning from a textbook.”

The Field Academy is supported by VELA, which as part of the Stand Together community supports everyday entrepreneurs who are boldly reimagining education.

Learn more about Stand Together's education efforts and explore ways you can partner with us.