Saved Schools

Sora

Sora, nominated by Center on Reinventing Public Education, is a middle/high school that describes itself as an independent (private) school serving learners from a primarily urban/suburban/rural area.

Location Online, None

Governance Independent (Private) School

Grades Middle, High

Students 650

Locale Rural, Suburban, Urban

Director of Admissions Lexa Watroba

Demographics

Percentage of students*

English Learners

Free/Reduced Lunch

Students with Disabilities

African American or Black 11%

American Indian/Alaska Native 4%

Asian 8%

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 2%

Hispanic or Latino 13%

White 48%

2+ Races

Why Sora was nominated

Sora began designing an online, project-based high school experience before the pandemic struck. The school's faculty advise student-driven and interdisciplinary projects that map to a competency framework. Sora is an approach worth watching in particular since more inquiry-driven instructional approaches are often thought to require intensive teacher time and supervision, thus not being a good fit for virtual schooling - but Sora's design offers a solution worth learning from.

Student experience design

We bring high-fidelity progressive education to an online environment. We lean on the following pillars: - Project-based learning - Competency-based assessment - Interdisciplinary, inquiry-based classes - Relationship-led advisory - 3 hours of small-group, live learning per day

Core Practices

Core Practices Length of Use

Adaptive Learning Software

5+ years

Assessments For Deeper Learning

5+ years

Blended Learning

5+ years

Project-based Learning

5+ years

Student-led Goal Setting

5+ years

All Practices

Advancement On Mastery

Student Advisories

AI For Learning Materials

AI For Teacher Productivity

AI-assisted Tutoring

Assessments For Agency And Self-directed Learning

Career Exploration

Co-leadership

Community And Workforce Partnerships

Competency/mastery-based Education

Disaggregated Data On Student Participation

Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles

Grading Policies Focus On Mastery

Interoperable Data From Multiple Technologies

Individual Learner Profiles

Individual Learning Paths

1:1 Mentoring

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics

Multi-age Classrooms

No Tracked Classes

Peer To Peer Support

Performance Based Assessment

SEL Curriculum

SEL Integration School-wide

Student-led Conferences

Students Access Their Own Data

Students Develop Projects

key reasons for innovating

Demonstrate what’s possible for other schools

Improve student mental health

Increase student agency

Date Updated: 4/1/2026

*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.