Invest in the Future of Education - We Soar Higher Together!

We’re building more than a school — we’re launching a movement.

Redtail Academy is a transformative middle school for boys that reimagines education with joy, curiosity, empathy, and equity at its core. Right now, we are seeking urgent funding to take critical next steps toward launch — including purchasing curricular materials and professional learning and planning our first major fundraising events.

We must raise funding to:

Purchase curriculum, supplies, and professional learning to support academic and social-emotional growth.
Plan fundraising events.
Hire bookkeeping, tax, and marketing expertise.

Your contribution today will help us create a vibrant learning community and change lives for years to come.

Our Mission

We offer a nurturing, inclusive academic environment where middle school boys thrive as:

Holistic learners
Curious thinkers
Compassionate leaders

We root their education in real-world relevance, authentic identity, and deep respect for their unique developmental journeys.

Our Vision

We envision a future where learning is alive with joy and curiosity, and rooted in compassion and authenticity, transforming not just students, but our entire community.

Why Now?

Too many boys are disengaged or underserved during their middle school years, a critical stage of identity formation and intellectual development, affecting the trajectory of their lives.

We are answering the call with a bold, values-based model rooted in:

Authenticity
Empathy and Community
Joyful and engaged learning
Equity & Empowerment
Respect for the unique developmental needs of boys

With your help, we’ll launch a school that doesn’t just educate — it transforms.

Why a Middle School Just for Boys?

Middle school is a critical time—a period of intense emotional, cognitive, and social development. Boys in particular often face unique challenges in traditional co-ed environments: pressure to perform, difficulty expressing emotions, and a lack of spaces to explore their identities safely and openly, all the while going through extreme physical growth and change. This can be a tender time of life.

We’re creating a space just for boys—or those who identify as boys and other adjacent genders—so they can:

Explore who they are without external pressures.
Cultivate emotional intelligence, empathy, community, creativity, and criticality.
Engage in hands-on, inquiry-driven learning driven by their needs for movement, connection to nature, and development for independence and competence through real life experiences in the community.
- For example:
  - Learning about plant biology and stewardship of the land, growing produce, donating it to local food pantries, cooking, and ultimately selling it at the farmer’s market, while integrating concepts and skills related to financial literacy, entrepreneurship and food scarcity.
  - Learning about mechanical engineering, designing garden beds and donating them to people or organizations in need.
  - Exploring local Champaign-Urbana history, including voices of those who are marginalized and oppressed populations, internalizing historical research skills, and connecting those stories to our local government and policies.
  - Implement historical research skills, and connect stories from the past to our present local government and policies.
  - Learn math concepts and apply them to real-life sociopolitical issues.
  - Learn the value of diverse voices—including female perspectives—through intentional community partnerships.

We're not excluding, we're empowering. And we’re filling a gap that already exists in our community.

Your Gift Will Help Us:

Show that we are worth investing in to other donors and organizations
Build an intentional and compassionate learning community by developing thought-provoking curriculum
Hosting community engagement and fundraising efforts
Hire bookkeeping expertise to complete the creation of our school
Create social media channels and advertising to promote our school

Your Gift Matters

Early supporters are more than donors — they are founding partners in a bold vision for change. Our collective goal is $10,000. Your gift will:

Plant the roots of something powerful
Build a school designed for transformation
Empower boys to lead with curiosity, courage, and compassion

If we are able to raise an additional $500, the kids can attend one session of Forest School at the Urbana Park District.
If we are able to raise an additional $1,000, we can purchase curricular materials.
If we are able to raise an additional $3,000, we can engage in professional learning around our math curriculum.
If we are able to raise an additional $4,000, we can hire bookkeeping and tax expertise.
If we are able to raise an additional $5,000, we can advertise our school to let potential families know about our new learning community.
If we are able to raise an additional $6,000, we can launch a major fundraising campaign.

Any amount makes a difference! $5, $50, or $500 will help us reach our goal!

How You Can Help

Donate today — every gift plants a seed
Share this campaign with your network
Join as a founding supporter or peer fundraiser to champion our mission

If you'd rather write a check or donate via Zelle, email redtail.academy2026@gmail.com.

Donate Now — Be Part of the Transformation

Together, let’s raise a generation of courageous, connected, and compassionate leaders.

Thank You

By contributing to this campaign, you're not just funding a school — you're shaping a future. Thank you for believing in what’s possible.

Redtail Academy - A Middle School for Boys

Ignite Joyful Learning – Empower Future Leaders