Jacqlyn & Jeff Johns, Acton ABQ Founders, and family

Our Story

Jeff and I both were able to find paths to success in traditional school, but didn’t truly love learning until we were in our areas of passion and almost finished with schooling - so many years wasted completing useless requirements.

When it came time to choose a school for our own children, we were initially drawn to existing alternative educational models, but couldn't quite find one school that satisfied all of our desired qualities. We were looking for something that would span from K-12, give them lots of real-world experience, and allow them to pursue their passion along the way. We wanted our kids to experience the joy of learning at their own speed, and the challenges of becoming critical thinkers and problem solvers. When we heard about Acton, we knew we’d found the answer.

Since launching Acton ABQ in 2017, we’ve interacted with hundreds of amazing and visionary leaders who have started their own Acton Academy schools from California to Kuala Lumpur. We all share a common belief that our learners are capable of much more than most people ever expect of them and that given the opportunity to find their own Hero’s Journey, they will engage in incredible ways, forge unique paths, and change the world.

Jacqlyn & Jeff Johns

Our Albuquerque Campus

Acton Academy ABQ is located at 3100 Menaul Blvd NE near the corner of Menaul and Carlisle

Our Team

Jeff Johns

Co-Founder

Jacqlyn Johns

Co-Founder

Kerry Baldwin

Director, Launchpad Guide

Lakota Wiede

Director, Middle School Guide

Jonathan Woods

Elementary Guide

Becca Rutledge

Spark Guide

Our Advisors

Jeff Sandefer

Co-Founder - Acton Academy

Laura Sandefer

Co-Founder - Acton Academy

Learn more about Acton Academy at https://www.actonacademy.org

Our Promises

We promise through Socratic guiding and experiential learning to encourage each member of our community to:

  • 1

    Begin a Hero’s Journey,

  • 2

    Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery.

  • 3

    Become a curious, independent, life-long learner.

  • 4

    Embrace the forging of a strong character.

  • 5

    Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life.

  • 6

    Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.

Our Beliefs

We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.

  • 1

    We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way;

  • 2

    We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.

  • 3

    We believe in a closely connected family of life-long learners.

  • 4

    We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.

Joy +  Rigor = Mastery

Embracing rigor is part of saying ‘yes’ to a Hero’s Journey. Deep learning brings a special sense of joy, but the mastery required for a Hero’s Journey goes even further, requiring commitment, discipline and hard work towards a worthy goal.