Real-life learning—way beyond textbooks

The best way to learn is to roll up your sleeves and make your own discoveries—in and outside the classroom. We keep class sizes small so you can focus on building first-hand skills and knowledge through group projects that bring key concepts to life. You also tackle real challenges and find real solutions through field study and service learning.

Through EF’s partnership with the Nobel Prize Museum, students have the opportunity to compete at EF Educational Tours annual Global Student Leader Summits, with the winning team getting to showcase their work alongside Nobel Prize winners at the museum in Stockholm.

Solve problems rather than memorize answers

Research shows you understand your academic subjects more deeply when you work in small groups to solve real-world problems. That’s why the majority of your class time is focused on Project-based Learning. In math class, for example, you might find yourself throwing a baseball to calculate exactly how far the ball went using quadratics, trig ratios, and vectors.

A creative process for more creative solutions

Successful people solve life’s challenges in innovative ways. Creativity is key. So get ready to complete many of your assignments using Design Thinking, a proven process for finding the best solutions. You begin by trying to understand the true nature of the issue to be solved. You then define the problem, and ideate and prototype your solution in one of our design labs. Finally, you test the results. Our media and fabrication labs are where you put the polish on your team’s exciting original creation.

Make the world your classroom

With our innovative class schedule, you head off-campus to partake in outdoor field study experiences throughout the Los Angeles area. Then, each fall semester, you join your entire class on an immersive, multi-day trip exploring Southern California's wonders. This allows you to build community with each other and connect with the area we call home. Finally, thanks to being part of EF Education First, you have the opportunity to join fellow students from our EF Academy New York campus on affordable spring break educational tours worldwide.

Make the world your classroom

With our innovative class schedule, you head off-campus to partake in outdoor field study experiences throughout the Los Angeles area. Then each fall semester, you join your entire class on an immersive, multi-day trip that explores the wonders of Southern California. This allows you to build community with each other and connect with the area we call home. Finally, thanks to being part of EF Education First, you have the opportunity to join fellow students from our EF Academy New York campus on affordable spring break educational tours throughout the world.

In Science class, get ready to investigate true crimes and launch bottle rockets

Dr. Nicole Windmon, Head of Department for Science, fully embraces Project-based Learning in her chemistry classroom by solving real-world problems. Her students learn thermochemistry and balancing equations through a true crime investigation of a house fire, working as crime scene investigators to determine if the fire was arson or accident. To deepen their understanding of stoichiometry and gas laws, Dr. Windmon’s students head outside to optimize bottle rocket launches. For her Advanced Studies in Organic Chemistry course, Dr. Windmon partners with a local university so her students can run samples of the materials they synthesize on advanced instruments, like mass spectrometers and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers.

See how Eseoghene gets to practice what she learned in class...

A typical day

Since you create your own personalized learning journey at EF Academy, each student’s schedule is unique to them. For a general idea of how you’ll spend your time on campus, see below:

Daily mentorship

House parents, advisors, and teachers work as one team to look after your well-being and success. You also join an advisory group, led by your Advisor, that meets multiple times per week.