(The Lion) — A newly rebranded online school focused on conservative values and American founding principles is expanding nationwide.

The American Virtual Academy, formerly known as The Bridge School, relaunched in April and emphasizes the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Based in Arizona, the K-12 school offers online education tailored to families seeking alternatives to traditional public schools.

“I had this vision of starting a private conservative school based on American founding principles,” said founder Damian Creamer. “(It) will teach students about what it means to be an American and what it means to have conservative values and what it means to have faith.”

While the school is based on Christian principles and the importance of having faith, it is not a religious school and welcomes people of other faiths.

Creamer, who launched a successful charter school in Arizona in 2001, said his goal is to “pull kids out of the system” and offer families an education aligned with their values.

Online schools are growing

The growth of virtual learning accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. National providers like Connections Academy and K12 by Stride offer tuition-free programs in multiple states. Others, like Texas-based Alpha, use AI to compress academic instruction, freeing up students to focus on life skills and independent projects.

Creamer’s school positions itself as a distinct alternative.

“We’ve taken all of the woke ideology out of the curricula that you’re going to run across in state schools,” he said. “There’s no DEI in this. There’s no transgender curriculum.”

American Virtual Academy is accredited by Cognia and recently earned Blue Ribbon status, making it an option for military families. It offers AP and NCAA-approved courses and partners with groups like Houston Ballet and North Atlantic Basketball Academy.

Students interact with teachers in scheduled sessions, and recorded lessons are available for those who need flexibility.

“Our teachers are always available for the students,” Creamer said. “Parents rave about the faculty and staff as well.”

School choice drives growth

The rapid expansion of school choice over the last five years has coincided with, and helped accelerate, the digital school boom.

American Virtual Academy helps families access school choice funding in states that offer it. Tuition is $5,000 for elementary students and $6,000 for high school, typically covered by education savings accounts or similar programs where offered.

In states without school choice, such as California, students can still enroll but must pay privately.

To support socialization, the academy provides a private social network and resources for forming parent pods and learning communities. Parents can even access resources to learn more about traditional American values.

AI is part of the boom

Alpha school uses AI to limit academic learning to two hours per day. This frees students up to spend the remainder of the school day developing life skills such as money management and public speaking, and to work on passion projects.

Creamer’s school uses an AI learning assistant developed by his education technology company StrongMind. The AI can even personalize to a student’s learning style and incorporate their favorite movies, sports and hobbies.

Students can also get project-based learning credit for life experiences such as acting.

Even so, teachers still play an integral role in students’ learning.

“Virtual schools have done a really good job in the past providing a great curricula and assessment,” Creamer says. “I think where virtual schools have really waned and where they have trouble is in the instructional piece, especially with the flexibility that so many of our students need.”

A cultural shift

Creamer, who also ran Primavera – Arizona’s largest online school, which caters to at-risk youth – sees his school as part of a broader shift in American education.

“We’re giving students a place where they can come and families can feel safe and secure,” he said, “that the teachers all share the same values and we’re going to be doing good things for families and good things for kids.”