Like most parents, you might be wondering, “is my child’s school going to preserve their childhood and prepare them for a rapidly changing world?”
While many schools focus on rote memorization and test scores, ASTEME Academy focuses instead on inspiring a love of learning in every child. In this simple but radical mission, ASTEME redefines what a TK-8 education can be. As our Head of School Allan Yu often says, education should never be about filling minds–it should be about lighting fires.
At ASTEME Academy that fire burns bright in every child.
Raising the Next Generation to Meet
the World's Biggest Challenges
We don’t just teach leadership, we form global citizens who can lead.
We don’t just teach STEM, we develop innovators.
We don’t just teach students, we inspire lifelong learners.
A Vision Born From Innovation
ASTEME Academy was founded by Allan Yu, former director with the UCLA Math Project, who spent years partnering with many of Los Angeles’s leading independent schools—including Wildwood, The Willows, and Westside Neighborhood School—to design and strengthen their math programs. During that time, Allan noticed a consistent issue across schools: math instruction often lacked alignment, leading to confusion and disengagement.
Allan envisioned a school where math serves as the foundation for all learning, rather than a subject taught in isolation. The acronym ASTEME—Advancement of Science, Technology, and Engineering in Math Education—captures this philosophy. ASTEME places math at the forefront, teaching it as a living language to be spoken, applied, and used to make sense of the world.
Allan’s insight became a call to reimagine how all subjects could come to life when grounded in joyful exploration. ASTEME’s simple but powerful mission was born: to inspire in children a lifelong love of learning.
Life Long Learners
We believe that the journey of lifelong learning begins with introducing our youngest students into a mixed-age community that is excited about school. The culture is infectious, and learning permeates life at ASTEME, from the very beginning, no matter the age.
Our goal is to foster intrinsic motivation for learning—a love of learning for its own sake. We avoid relying on extrinsic motivators. Letter grades are a useful tool for parents to track their students’ progress, but we never want grades or test scores to become the prize a student is chasing. Once a student’s motivation for learning is decoupled from the learning itself, that student is set up to abandon the quest for knowledge as soon as there’s no report card.
Project-based learning is central; when students understand why they are learning something, and connect it to the real world, curiosity naturally drives them.
ASTEME also empowers students to become invested in their own educational journey. They are given real responsibility and choice. They are taught each foundational concept multiple ways, and are invited to reflect on what works best for them. They pursue passion projects: long-term, self-directed inquiries that connect academic skills with personal creativity. We also offer over 60 electives in topics that range from robotics, engineering, and digital animation to creative writing, culinary arts, sports, and theater. Not only does this celebrate the diverse interests of each student, it encourages a joy of discovery and the revelation that every activity can be a learning opportunity.
Our play-based learning in younger years evolves into playful inquiry in older yeaars, showing that math, reading and science are creative tools for discovery and that learning should be fun.
Small classrooms enable us to respond to each student’s strengths and interests. Teachers mentor students to take creative risks, make mistakes, and grow from challenges. This individualized approach ensures that every child—whether gifted, twice-exceptional, or otherwise in need of extra support—feels both challenged and capable. Grouping by skill, and not just age, allows students to learn at their own pace, and even the youngest students can explore complex ideas when ready.
ASTEME’s hybrid learning model is another way in which the school structurally recognizes that learning is not and should not be limited to the classroom. With part-time and full-time, online and in-person options, an ASTEME student can easily take advantage of outside opportunities, without disrupting their school work, ensuring that school never gets in the way of their full education.
Creative Problem-Solvers
Project-based learning encourages both creativity and resilience in the classroom. Failure becomes a vital part of iteration in the course of scientific inquiry. We empower students to build solutions together and work across disciplines, connecting science, art, social studies and technology. This is not just about training thinkers, but creative problem-solvers and innovators.
Empowered Leaders & Communicators
ASTEME’s Advisory Program, inspired by All It Takes and Circleways, serves as the heart of the social-emotional curriculum. Every day starts with small group reflections, which build empathy, communication, and executive functioning. Mixed-age classrooms and recess deepen these lessons as each student finds their place in a vibrant, inclusive, school community. Students learn to communicate effectively–not only with peers, but also with adults and students of all ages. Older students are invited to lead the all-school STEM talks, lead discussions, and even craft student-led electives. Leadership is not a theoretical concept at ASTEME–it is practiced daily.
Responsible Global Citizens
Most education stops at academic knowledge, but at ASTEME, we are preparing students for adulthood. Whether designing sustainable cities, running mock businesses, or conducting experiments in our science labs, students learn to plan, organize, and adapt. They discover how to work collaboratively, giving and receiving feedback constructively, manage conflict and work through frustration towards shared goals. These experiences build confidence and equip students to solve problems together.
Each student participates in life-skills courses that focus on practical knowledge and critical thinking, including financial literacy, speech and debate, social media responsibility (netiquette).
Community is central to ASTEME life. We host regular showcases, performances, service projects, and family events that offer students an opportunity to express themselves publicly, reinforcing a sense of connection and belonging they have in a broader community.
ASTEME is committed to access and diversity. We accommodate learning differences, keep tuition intentionally lower than traditional private schools, and embrace diversity to ensure that every student learns in a community reflective of the real world. This diversity not only enriches the classroom, but also teaches students to appreciate the multiple perspectives and approaches, and the value of constructive difference and inclusion.