In March 2016, San Antonio ISD and Trinity University announced plans to partner to open a school like no other school in San Antonio, redefining what urban education looks like in our city. The vision was a school for students who seek academic challenge with greater depth and complexity and opportunities for acceleration.

The Advanced Learning Academy opened its doors Aug. 22, 2016, to students in grades K-10. Pre-kindergarten and 11th grades are being added this school year in 2017-18 and 12th grade will be added in 2018-19.

Our innovative, forward-thinking PK-12 school is open to any curious, self-motivated learner looking for academic challenges and the option of accelerated learning.

The school is located across two campuses, with pre-kindergarten through 3th grades housed at the site of the former Austin Academy, 621 W Euclid Ave., and the majority of the grades, 4th through 11th, at nearby Fox Tech High School, 637 N. Main Ave.

Learning is not solely defined by grade or age but instead built upon student interest and level of achievement. Students alternate between individual and collaborative learning to tackle in-depth problems that require them to apply knowledge from across multiple subjects.

By eliminating some of the traditional boundaries, the Advanced Learning Academy is a place where hearts and minds truly can soar.

The academy also serves as a learning lab through Trinity University to create a pipeline of highly trained teachers and leaders for SAISD campuses. A new San Antonio area nonprofit, City Education Partners (CEP), has provided grants to SAISD and Trinity for the new teacher training and innovative school design.