Let’s start at the beginning
Our Story
Actias School began as a promise to solve a systemic problem. For twenty years, Bridget McCormick treated Bay Area teens whose anxiety, depression, autism, ADHD, and OCD made traditional school impossible. Many of these students were eager for college-level academics, yet schools with strong therapeutic support lacked rigorous coursework. Families were left to choose between incomplete programs, piecing together outside therapists and supports, or sending their children out of state to find a true fit.
After losing a patient who needed a local therapeutic school when there wasn’t one, Bridget and co-founder Evelyn Semenza committed to building the option families and school districts asked for but couldn’t find: a therapeutic high school that combines academics and connection with nature, and keeps kids rooted here—close to family, peers, and their community—so progress is made where life actually happens.
The Actias moth carries meaning that mirrors our school’s purpose: Adaptability, transformation, connection to the earth, and navigation through darkness.
Why Now?
Teen Mental Health Crisis
Escalating need - Adolescent mental-health challenges continue to rise.
Impact at scale - 42% of U.S. high-schoolers report persistent sadness/hopelessness; 1 in 5 have seriously considered suicide.
School avoidance - Emotionally-based school avoidance remains elevated post-pandemic.
System strain - Campus wellness teams are overloaded and unequipped to support severe mental health crises.
Scarcity of Therapy Services - Supply is low for therapists, psychiatrists and intensive outpatient services.
State priority - California systems acknowledge youth mental health as a statewide crisis.
Why Here?
Fragmented Local Options
Incomplete Defaults - Districts spend tens of millions annually on alternative schools - often with no integrated therapy
A Difficult Choice - Local alternative schools force a tradeoff: either strong therapy with weak academics, or college prep academics without the therapeutic support students need for real college readiness.
High Cost for Fragmented Care - College-prep programs cost between $50,000 and $100,000 per year. Adding the full spectrum of therapeutic services (individual, group, family, and parent sessions), adds $50K+, leaving families with fragmented care and financial strain.
Filling the Gap
Actias is a one-of-a-kind local school serving bright, curious learners facing mental health challenges.
