ADMISSIONS

A Letter To Our Future Students

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If you’re reading this, it’s probably because your experience with school hasn’t been great. Maybe it’s felt like a constant source of stress, or a place where you struggled to feel belonging. You might feel like you’re behind everyone else or that you just want to give up because school just isn’t made for you. We want to give you a school experience where you have more control over your learning, and the support to move forward on your path.

Outgrowing your comfort zone: Anxiety isn’t just worry. It can totally derail your life. We know that when your anxiety is high, it’s impossible to focus on schoolwork or do the things you want to do. That’s why we don't expect you to "just push through it." We want to give you the time, space and tools to manage anxiety so that you leave us with the confidence to take on scary things and expand your comfort zone.

Making learning fun again: School shouldn't make you feel like you’re drowning. We’re here to help you rediscover your interests at a pace that makes sense for you. Whether you’ve fallen behind or just lost interest, we want to help you enjoy the process of learning again, minus the traditional high-stakes pressure.

Connection, community, and belonging: The most important part of Actias is the community. The staff who work here really want to be here. Most of us have struggled with anxiety or didn’t feel like we fit in traditional school environments, so we understand your daily reality. We’re focused on building a culture where everyone belongs, not because they’re trying to fit in, but because they can be themselves.

We aren’t trying to change you. We want to offer you a different environment where you can feel safe, learn, and be yourself, and maybe… have some fun too. Will it be scary to try a new school? Sure! But it’s one step towards feeling less scared to do things. You got this.

We can’t wait to meet you!

Bridget and The Actias Staff

Bridget McCormick, 
Co-Founder and Executive Director

ADMISSIONS

Who are Actias Students?

At Actias, we support bright, capable students who find that traditional school environments don't quite align with their unique needs. Our community is designed for those students with complex emotional and learning profiles.

  • Anxiety is the most common challenge within our student body. We provide a safe environment for those struggling with:

    • School Avoidance & Academic Pressure: Overcoming the "paralysis" of performance anxiety and perfectionism.

    • Social & Performance Stress: Building confidence in social settings and public tasks.

    • Clinical Diagnoses: Specialized support for GAD, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, OCD, PTSD, and Specific Phobias.

  • We recognize that chronic anxiety rarely exists in a vacuum. Many of our students deal with secondary challenges, such as depression or maladaptive coping strategies, developed to manage persistent fear. Our approach addresses the "whole person," not just a single symptom.

  • The wrong environment for students who learn differently, increases anxiety and contributes to school avoidance. Actias is a school that supports:

    • ADHD, NVLD, PDD & ASD (Level 1)

    • Gifted or Twice Exceptional (2e)

    • Alternative Learning Styles: Students whose capabilities are often lost in a standard classroom

    • Sensory Processing: We support students in managing sensory sensitivities that impact their self-regulation and focus

  • Actias serves as an essential landing for students re-entering community life. We provide a structured, therapeutic bridge for those transitioning from:

    • Wilderness Therapy

    • Residential Treatment Centers

    • Therapeutic Boarding Schools

    Whether a student is returning from out-of-home care or seeking to avoid it altogether, Actias provides the stability and specialized support they need to thrive at home and in the classroom.

Exterior view of a Foothill College with a water feature and landscaped garden at dusk.

OUR LOCATIONS

Foothill College Campus

We have a dedicated classroom and therapy offices on the Foothill College Campus. This location provides many benefits:

  • Easy transportation access with public transit options

  • Opportunity to take college-level classes with support from Actias

  • Middle College and Transition to Work (TTW) programs provide an easy transition at Foothill into high school, college, or work environments

  • Students can use all community college facilities on campus including the gym, library, cafeteria and support services for their college classes

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OUR LOCATIONS

Nature Preserves & Local Farms

We dedicate multiple days each week to outdoor learning. Our visits to local farms and nature preserves provide a wide range of experiential learning opportunities in horticulture, agriscience, and animal science.

Beyond academics, this outdoor programming allows us to:

  • Conduct therapy sessions in a natural, open setting.

  • Practice emotional regulation skills in real-world environments.

  • Provide a sensory reset by reducing the artificial lighting and screen time that often impact our students.

  • Encourage physical activity and healthy movement.

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APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Attend an open house, request and submit an initial interest form

  • Parent/caregiver meeting with Actias team, teen and Actias team initial meeting

  • Submit school and testing records and provide release of information to talk with current or past providers, therapeutic treatment programs, or previous schools

  • Actias and teen co-design personalized program and propose design to family before creating an admissions agreement

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BE IN TOUCH

We’d love to continue the conversation.

If you have additional questions or feel like Actias could be a fit for your teen, we’d love to hear from you.

CONNECT