Curriculum Overview
Explore the curriculum students will engage with throughout their time at Barefoot Technology Academy.
Explore the curriculum students will engage with throughout their time at Barefoot Technology Academy.
At Barefoot Technology Academy, students don't have classes or earn grades, they demonstrate mastery through meaningful project work. Our curriculum is designed to recognize deep understanding, creativity, and real-world impact. Instead of racing through a checklist of assignments, students build portfolios of meaningful work in STEM, humanities and entrepreneurship that show what they truly know and can do.
Alongside individual and group project work, students meet for whole-group seminars throughout the week, focused on philosophy, literature, skills workshops and guest speakers.
We offer dual enrollment options with Accelerate at Arizona State University, providing students with undergraduate-level work from the start of their high school career.
Students are encouraged to submit their work to academic journals and internationally recognized competitions, conferences, and fellowships to curate an impressive, student-focused resume.
Students demonstrate mastery in twelve core competencies and two to four advanced competencies, ranging from research to engineering to creative thinking to physical well-being.
CompetenciesStudents demonstrate their mastery by curating a project portfolio. They submit a project, a reflection on their learning, and their self-assessment of their progress towards mastery, and then discuss their progress with their mentor.
ProjectsMost student projects are directly related to their interests and their real-world contexts. This often includes working with local businesses, non-profits, colleges and community leaders.
Sample ProjectsStudents meet regularly with a mentor who helps them set goals, reflect on their progress, and push their thinking further. Feedback is formative, personal, and central to growth. Students also submit reflective work on each project they complete, evaluating their own progress.
Graduation RequirementsStudents curate their own learning journey, focusing on topics that interest them. They engage in guided independent study, undergraduate coursework, and a well-rounded, advanced education.
Student PathwaysIn weekly Socratic seminars, students explore the biggest questions humanity has ever asked, and the answers philosophers and books have offered through the years. Every session is a mix of discussion, thought experiments, literary analysis, and real-world application.
Learn MoreEvery other week, students gather to learn a specific practical skill to help improve their project work. Each module focuses on a different essential tool, from storytelling to coding, research to public speaking, and more.
Learn MoreEach week, students meet to have casual discussions, do creative challenges, have fun and make suggestions to improve school life. This time is also used for students to give mini-lessons to others, where students volunteer to teach about topics they've become interested in!
Learn MoreGuest speakers come and either give a lecture or run a hands-on workshop in their area of expertise. Whether that's organic chemistry, accessibility design, astronomy or entrepreneurship, students will be exposed to a broad range of interesting people and topics.
Learn MoreDuring the winter semester, we focus on a different major topic each year. In 2026, we're partnering with Inspirit AI to do a deep dive into Artificial Intelligence. In future years, we may partner with Junior Achievement USA for entrepreneurship, ASL Virtual Academy for American Sign Language, The Coding School for Quantum Computing, and many others based on student interest.
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