Bridges Academy Online Program Structure
Supporting Strengths, Gifts & Talents
Bridges Academy Online is designed to be both rigorous and flexible. Strength-based and talent focused, we aim to engage gifts and talents and provide support to overcome challenges wherever they interfere with learning and life goals.
The BAO comprehensive program develops intellect, creativity, academic prowess, and social-emotional skills and understandings. Parents, teachers, students, and administrators work closely to provide the most productive context and foundation for learning though the high school years.
Cohorts
Students are grouped in cohorts of 10-12 students. In order to create dynamic groupings, we take into consideration gifts, talents, and interests of the students as well as grade, age, and course requirements.
Groups are led by a Cohort Advisor, who acts as manager, academic coach, and social advisor. The advisor is the primary liaison among and between parents, teachers, and administration.
Program Schedule
BAO follows a semester schedule. Classes are approximately 60 minutes long with breaks occurring between each class. The school day begins at 8:30 a.m. PT and concludes at 1:15 p.m. PT, Monday through Thursday, and 1:10 p.m. on Fridays.
Bridges Academy Online operates on a 169-day calendar. There is an average of 4.75 hours of synchronous cohort instruction and activities per day, not including breaks.
While some assignments can be completed and refined in class or during advisory, students should expect to spend a minimum of five additional hours per week offline to complete their work. Students should also allot time for reading assignments, group projects, required independent studies, and internships
Parent Communication
Cohort Advisors hold regular conferences with parents, and students are typically present. Successes, goals, changes to plans, and plans for improvements are discussed and formalized in these meetings. Such short-term and long-term goals are also regularly addressed in the context of students’ advisory work, where they are guided through informal and periodic formal self-reflections on gifts, talents, skills, and challenges.
Additional team meetings occur on an as-needed basis. These meetings may include the director, cohort advisors, teachers, outside specialists, and/or the head of school and students.
Additional Program Details
(Click/tap + and – symbols to toggle section views below)
Bridges Academy Online provides four years of courses in English Language Arts, Social Science, Science, Mathematics, and World Language. This scope and sequence exceeds basic high school graduation requirements and the admissions criteria of most four-year colleges.
Bridges also provides four years of talent development, called the Young Expert Program, and four years of an elective, which includes one year of a visual/performing art. Physical education credits and community service hours (30 hours required) are earned via documented independent activities.
Most course curricula are integrated, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary in design, crossing the traditional disciplinary boundaries and categories. Successful completion of the course requirements will earn the student the following units for graduation:
| DISCIPLINE | YEARS | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| History | 4 | 4 |
| Science | 4 | 4 |
| English Literature & Composition | 4 | 4 |
| Mathematics | 4 | 4 |
| World Language | 4 | 3 |
| Physical Education | 4 | 4 |
| Young Expert Program/Talent Development/Electives | 4 | 4 |
Tuition & Fees:
- Annual Tuition is $35,253 per year.
- This includes academic instruction, college counseling for 11th- and 12th-grade students, and technology fees.
- All families are required to pay a $550 tuition insurance fee, and new families must also pay a one-time $750 fee.
- A processing fee of $40–$55 applies, depending on the chosen payment method.
- A detailed fee breakdown is available upon request.
Payment Plans:
- If you choose to pay tuition in installments, a payment plan fee of $500 will be assessed.
- When enrolling with a payment plan, a payment of $4,000 must accompany your enrollment contract. If enrollment is after August 1, payments based on the payment schedule are also due.
- A processing fee will be added to any balance paid by credit card.
Please visit our Affording Bridges page for more information.
Dylan McKenzie — Director, Bridges Academy Online, and Cohort Advisor
Dylan McKenzie has been a dedicated educator for 14 years at Bridges Academy, a school for gifted students with learning differences. With a background in music education, Dylan nurtured students’ talents and provided support in areas where they faced challenges. His approach taps music as a forum to develop students’ social-emotional skills, bringing deep empathy and intuition to his guidance and mentorship. In 2021, Dylan joined Bridges Academy Online as the inaugural cohort leader, overseeing students’ academic, social-emotional, and talent development journeys, while also serving as a trusted liaison for parents. Recognized for his outstanding work, he was promoted to the directorship in June 2023. In addition to his role in Bridges Academy Online, Dylan played a vital part in Bridges LA as co-director of the Bridges Music Program from 2009 to 2023. Alongside his teaching responsibilities, he showcased his musical talents as a guitarist and songwriter, gracing prominent Los Angeles venues such as The Walt Disney Concert Hall, KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, and the Hammer Museum. Dylan holds a BFA in guitar performance from the California Institute of the Arts.
Explore Bridges Academy Online: Overview | Program Structure | Open Houses | Videos | Contact | Parent Access
Questions, or unsure whether your child is a fit?
Kayla Franklin Waesche Director of Enrollment & Financial Aid
818-506-1091
admissions@bridges.edu