Program & Curriculum at Vita High School

Vita’s curriculum is designed around our Mission Statement and Montessori principle—self-directed learning, collaborative exploration, and hands-on experiences / life skills—while ensuring students master the essential knowledge and skills for college and career success.

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Program & Curriculum at Vita High School

Vita covers academics in a 4 hour morning block and spends the afternoon on dream goals and life skills.

Academics

Vita utilizes a mix of probject-based learning for collaboration and online college courses.

Mathematics:

From Algebra to Calculus, our math curriculum prioritizes deep conceptual understanding. Students progress at their own pace, applying mathematical thinking to real-life projects.

Science:

Whether investigating biology, chemistry, physics, or environmental science, learners engage in labs, fieldwork, and experimental design to foster scientific inquiry.

Humanities:

Our integrated Humanities program combines literature, history, and social sciences. Students discuss, debate, and connect the dots across cultures and time periods.

Languages:

We offer opportunities in multiple languages to broaden cultural understanding, often pairing language study with global projects or exchanges.

Success Curriculum

Many people associate Montessori with early childhood—but its benefits extend powerfully into the teenage years. We call it our Success Curriculum.

Purpose & Mission:

At the core of self-discovery, students discover and define their purpose, or personal mission statements.

Dream Vision:

Learners write out their dream lifestyles and the person they want to be in 20 years. From that, we work backwards to create a 4 year graduation plan and 1 year goals.

Dream Goals:

Students turn their dreams into concrete SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, risky, and timebound) to be achieved each quarter.

Weekly 1:1 Coaching & Team Meetings:

Learners meet 1:1 weekly with their coach for a coaching session that covers everything: academics, social-emotional well-being, and personal goals. Learners also meet weekly with their teams for accountability and support.

Life Skills

Finance:

Learners master the principles of making, managing, and investing money, ensuring financial literacy for a secure future.

Social-Emotional Learning:

Through guided reflection and real-world applications, students develop self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and strong interpersonal skills to thrive in personal and professional relationships.

Physical Health:
A balanced approach to fitness, nutrition, and overall well-being empowers students to make informed lifestyle choices that support long-term health and vitality.

Workplace Skills:
Learners develop essential professional competencies, including typing 60 words per minute, G-Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides), email etiquette, resume & cover letter, and more!

Community Engagement:

Regular field trips and guest speakers to connect learners with real world opportunities and learning.

Weekly Schedule

At Vita, our unique weekly schedule is designed to maximize both academic growth and real-world learning. With a Tuesday-to-Friday structure, students dive deep into core subjects, hands-on projects, and personalized learning experiences—allowing for greater focus, flexibility, and balance. This innovative approach ensures that learners have time to master essential skills while also engaging in internships, community service, and personal development, preparing them for success beyond high school.

Mondays

Mondays are work days and do not take place at Vita. Mondays is the day for your learner to practice learner-driven education and discipline. This would even include community learning. Your learner should have quarterly rocks (goals) written in their planner. They should be logging in what they are doing that day. You as a parent can support them with accountability.

Gratitude & Plan (7:30 - 8:00am)

All Vita community members do gratitude journaling. They write down 10 things they are grateful for. Next, they plan out their day using our SMART Planner Process.

Academics (8:00 - 12:00pm)

Learners work on STEM or Humanities, in 2 hour learning blocks. Learners use a variety of online college courses, AI-driven curricula, collaborative project-based learning quests, and AI to master core academic subjects. You might see a group of learners working on ASU math, with an educator providing small-group tutoring when requested, and you may see a student who is ahead and exhausted taking a nap.

Community Recharge (9:55 - 10:05am)

Vita learners lead a community recharge or brain break. This is typically a whole group brainstorm, meditation, brief discussion, or even a small power nap to recharge learners for a second round of academic work.

Lunch (12:00 - 1:00pm)

All community members help prepare lunch and at Vita, we have weekly rotating teams. Learners cook the food with staff supervision and support! This is one of the coolest things to witness at Vita.

Coaching & Life Skills (1:00 - 2:45pm)

During this time, we have our 1:1 coaching sessions, guest speakers, life skills that might take the entire week, mastermind meetings on Fridays, and independent work time for learners to work on their Dream Goals.

Clean Up & Shout-Outs (2:45 - 3:00pm)

At the end of the day, learners work in their teams to clean the school. Each team is assigned an area they are responsible for. The day ends with a big shout-out circle, which also serves as a student-led town hall. Learners shout-out their peers or themselves for positive impact or a job well done. It is a great way that Vita builds strong positive culture.

Why Vita’s Curriculum Works

By balancing Montessori methods with rigorous academics, Vita students become adept at critical thinking, self-management, and innovative problem-solving—skills that stand out on college applications and in future careers.

Our learner-driven education philosophy intrinsically motivates students and meets them where they are at, so everyone can succeed.