FAQs

The curriculum is the same as the Founders academies, but with some additions to accommodate state policies and online limitations.

Grades K-8 for the 2025-2026 school year.

No. Students will be taught in a live classroom setting with a set schedule. They are required to attend all live classes. Students are also required to take state standardized tests (STAAR tests). Though we are a virtual program, the STAAR tests must be taken in person on one of our Founders campuses or ResponsiveEd test sites. 

Because classical education stresses the importance of teacher-directed instruction, your child will be online with their teacher for no more than 2 to 3 hours per day for grades K-2, no more than 3 to 4 hours per day for grades 3-5, and no more than 4 hours per day for grades 6-8. All core subjects - language arts, mathematics, history, and science - will be taught virtually during the school week. Asynchronous work will also be assigned.

• Google Classical for asynchronous learning
• Google Meet for synchronous learning
• Buzz Agilix for certain classes

Monday is considered a Asynchronous day. Although students do not meet for live classes on Monday, they are still required to complete any given assignments. 
Students are required to be online daily for their live synchronous classes. Synchronous classes meet every Tuesday-Friday. 

Visit this page for eligibility requirements.

Teaching occurs live with teachers (synchronously), but in certain cases may be accessed via recordings or through the Bright Thinker learning system. At times when a teacher knows she may be out in advance, a pre-recorded session might adlso be shared with students to minimize lost instructional time. There is also asynchronous work that will be provided each day.

Depends on the grade level. Grades K-5 will have one teacher for all content areas, including electives; Grades 6-8 will have at least five teachers (one for each core content area of mathematics, science, history, and social studies, and it varies with electives, like Latin and Logic).

Needed materials are either online or will be shipped to you. For grades 3-5, History and Science curricula are accessed online, while English Language Arts and Mathematics materials will be shipped to the student.

 

For grades 6-8, Science and History curricula are accessed online, while English Language Arts, Latin, and some history materials will be shipped to the student.

 

Additionally, there will be a need to purchase supplies similar to a brick-and-mortar setting (e.g. notebooks, writing utensils, paper, ruler, calculator, experiment-related items, etc.).

No. There are daily and weekly progress expectations that will be communicated. All instruction is live and teacher-directed. Students will be required to do a little more independent work, reading, etc. than students at a brick and mortar Founders Classical Academy.

As a general rule of thumb, this is not encouraged. Our classical curriculum is rigorous and challenging and follows a prescribed sequence. There may be instances when a student’s mathematics abilities are exceptional and it would be academically beneficial to move that student into a math class above their grade level.

Participation in STAAR exams is required for grades 3-8. All STAAR exams are conducted in person at an assigned testing location, generally one of our Founders campuses. The parent is required to provide transportation to/from the assigned testing location.

This is determined according to ResponsiveEd board policy on a case-by-case basis. Students with disciplinary history will still get accepted as long as they have completed any program they were assigned to due to the issue AND/OR they are not trying to use us to replace that program assigned to them.

The Connected Classroom is a new program for the 2024-2025 school year for grades 6-8. Students will receive live instruction from teachers at the Founders academy in Plainview, TX. Students will log in to synchronous classes and complete assignments according to the Plainview teachers' syllabi and standards. While there will not be live interaction during the synchronous classes, the students will engage with the same classical curriculum as their peers. Weekly office hours with Plainview teachers as well as homeroom with Founders Online staff will be held to monitor student progress and adress the needs of the students. 

Email is the best way to reach us. Emails can be found in the Staff Directory.