The Island Academy of Hilton Head

Posted: June 6, 2017

Our 12 year old son loves this school and hates to miss even a single day, which is not something you often hear from an active twelve year old boy! When I asked him why he loved the school so much, he said: “Because I feel like I learn something every day and I really learn it. I don’t just memorize something and tell the teacher what she wants me to say. I get to really figure things out and think and explain and talk about it all. It just makes me happy to know that it can actually be fun to learn. I used to think that school was just punishment for kids. Now I know better. School is awesome.” Well, as a parent, you couldn’t hope for more than for your child to be happy and engaged. But what about the specifics? What have we found as parents? Well, for us, The Island Academy and its teachers have created a unique, dynamic learning environment for children of all ages. The curriculum is very challenging, but it is presented in ways that enable the child to truly understand even the most complex issues. It also encourages and promotes “real thinking” by which I mean that the children fully explore the issues they are studying and truly learn and master the subject. Take geography for example. Each child will pick a country and explore everything about that country—it’s history, people, culture, religion, sports, GDP, politics, etc. The child masters the subject and then presents it (in a meaningful, organized and professional manner) to the other students. By the end of such a lesson, all the students have extensive knowledge (not just memorized dates and facts) of numerous countries throughout the world. The size of the school and the creativity and intelligence of the teachers allows such learning to take place on a daily basis. We truly could not be happier. As parents, my husband and I are thrilled to see our son growing into a happy, intelligent, generous, educated, open-minded individual. We believe the sky is the limit to what he can achieve in life and make a positive difference in the world and when he does, we have no doubt that he will attribute much of his success to The Island Academy and its wonderful teachers who instilled a love of learning and looking at the world from different perspectives as the foundation for attaining his future dreams.

Posted: June 6, 2017

Posted: June 6, 2017

Posted: June 6, 2017

Posted: June 6, 2017

Posted: June 6, 2017

Posted: June 6, 2017

Posted: June 5, 2017

Posted: June 5, 2017

They understand the many ways students learn and adjust to meet student needs.

Posted: June 5, 2017

Posted: June 5, 2017

Posted: June 5, 2017

Amazing, committed, caring invidivuals who know their students and how they learn.

Posted: June 5, 2017

They understand that homework is not helpful in many situations but if needed, they use the tool when necessary. Any homework given is not busy work!

Posted: June 5, 2017

Island Academy has given our daughter the joy of learning again! The school is a community that has welcomed our teenager and made her feel valued, respected, intelligent, and most importantly, confident! Confident of who she is and empowered to take charge of her learning. She now knows she is able to pave her path to success and she knows her school/community will be there to support her in every step she takes. We are so grateful for the teachers, administrators and students that make Island Academy a place that our daughter wants to go every day. A place where she feels she can accomplish any goal she sets with a team of mentors/teachers that support her creative as well as academic capabilities. Island Academy is exactly what every school should be - a place where students love to learn!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Posted: June 2, 2017

This school has changed our lives. I have three children who attend here and they have learned more in the two years they have been at the island academy than in all their previous years of schooling put together. This school is project based, student driven and inquiry style learning. The environment is inspiring, and fun with academic rigor. The students all are "turned on" to learning in a way I have never seen before. A must see on the island!

Posted: June 2, 2017

There is no bullying at this school. It is value based and the students all work through differences through effective communication, hearing one another, empathy and empowered conversations.

Posted: June 2, 2017

Posted: June 2, 2017

Posted: June 2, 2017

Posted: June 2, 2017

Teachers are amazing, caring and genuinely interested in and inspired by the students learning.

Posted: June 2, 2017

There is no homework at this school. The skills are mastered at school during school hours before moving on to the next item of learning. As such homework is not necessary (though often my children choose to connote learning at home on their own accord.)