“Traditional schools, our educational system, and even our way of raising children replaces curiosity with compliance. And once you replace the curiosity with the compliance, you get an obedient factory worker, but you no longer get a creative thinker. And you need creativity, you need the ability to feed your own brain to learn whatever you want.”
Naval Ravikant
Our journey with Wonder began not just as a response to the challenges facing education today, but as a bold effort to reimagine what school could be. Around the world, forward-thinking families and educators are embracing innovative learning models — models designed not for the past, but for the future our children will inherit.
Wonder first launched in Wichita, Kansas in 2018 thanks to the dedicated work of co-founders Zach and Annie Lahn. Our second location, located in Kansas City, is founded by Spencer Steinert, a long-term guide and part of the founding team in Wichita.
We took time to research, visit, learn from and partner with schools across the country that are leading in this movement by implementing some of the most advanced learner-driven practices. Wonder is the product of that work, a coming together of the most innovative learning models across the country.
Our primary inspiration for Wonder has always been Acton Academy. Launched in Austin, Texas over a decade ago by Jeff and Laura Sandefer, Acton is now the inspiration to hundreds of schools across the country.
who we are
Our team is made up of innovative minds each playing the role of a Socratic guide dedicated to empowering young people to take ownership over their own learning.
our campus
We’re hard at work getting our campus ready for a Fall 2025 launch.
Sign up for updates & check back soon for pictures soon!
Location & Tours
Our campus is located in South Kansas City just off of 135th and State Line Road.
Due to time constraints of our team and the number of requests, we are not able to host general tours of the school however, if you are interested in enrollment you can schedule a time to talk and visit the school on our enrollment page.
daily schedule
Each day at Wonder is broken up into work sprints with a shared purpose or goal. In a normal day:
Mornings are reserved for Core Skills
Afternoons are for hands-on Quest projects in the shoes of a real-life hero
15-minute Socratic discussions bookend the work periods and provide a time to reflect, think deeply, and bond as a group
Plenty of time is open for free play and exercise throughout the day
The flexibility of the schedule is key to the learning design. Work blocks can be shuffled around based on studio needs each session. Within each work block, learners choose from a broad range of work options based on their personal goals, passions, and commitments.
8:30 | Drop-off / Free Time
9:00 - Daily Launch (Socratic Discussion)
9:15 - Core Skills
Goal setting, math, Writers’ Workshop, reading, civilization discussion,
“Brain Breaks” throughout
11:45 | Lunch / Free Time
1:00 | Quest Launch (Socratic Discussion)
1:15 - Quest
Hands-on work, team-based challenges, sciences, coding,
entrepreneurship, art & music, history
3:00 | Studio Maintenance
3:15 - Closing Group / Character Callouts (Socratic Discussion)
3:30 | Pick-up
faq
Need some answers? You’re not alone.
Check out these frequently answered questions.
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Each family is unique, though there are some similarities we've seen between the families who are happiest and most successful in this model.
We encourage families to be intentional about their decision to apply to Wonder. Please read our site, suggest materials in our blog, and books like Courage to Grow and Unschooling Rules.
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For the 2025-26 year, Wonder will have our elementary school studios open. We enroll young people ages 5 through 12.
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Wonder begins at 9:00 am each day (drop-off starting at 8:30 am) and finishes at 3:30 pm.
We operate on a 10-month calendar (Aug-May), but our flexible program allows families to travel together during the year, without sacrificing learning.
The school calendar is based on a series of 5- to 6-week project sprints called "Quests", each with a theme – like Rockets, Robots, Medical Biology, or Detective Chemistry. Each Quest is a grand adventure, culminating in a high-stakes public Exhibition for family and friends.
Seven 4 to 6 week sessions, followed by 1 to 2 weeks off to refuel and for holidays, make up the school year.
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We believe that each of us has a special calling in life, and a series of trials and tests that must be faced with integrity and purpose in order to live a satisfying and fulfilled life. Our mission is to prepare your child for his or her special journey.
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We believe that children learn best when working with children younger and older than themselves rather than split up into groups based solely on age. In addition to individualized curriculum, all ages of learners work together in groups.
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Kids who love to learn, are curious, self-motivated, and respectful. Our environment is an accelerator for the independent learner who can tackle challenging questions, follow instructions, and solve problems.
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We take our commitment seriously when we promise to deliver a transformative education experience for young people at Wonder. Since we are a small school, we make sure that we have the resources necessary to keep this promise for each family that joins us. Currently we have had success with young people who experience ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, and some minor forms of autism. We are not currently equipped to serve young people with other specific learning needs.
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Wonder as a whole is not a Montessori school. We respect and incorporate Maria Montessori’s philosophy in our studios while still using the latest interactive and adaptive technologies, hands-on projects and the Socratic Method for discussions.
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We believe each of our learners will find a passion — something they love and have a gift to do. They will use this gift to serve others and fulfill a need they are passionate about in the world. This may be by becoming a shoe-shiner who tells stories and makes people's day better just by doing his job with love and vigor; it may be by becoming a coach who sees the light in a child’s eyes and guides her to pursue a dream; it may be by becoming a father or mother who leads a family on a Hero's Journey; it may be becoming an entrepreneur or business leader guided by compassion and integrity; or it may be by becoming an artist or writer who brings beauty to people's lives.
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Our promise at Wonder is to have your child well prepared for any selective university where they can score high enough on a standardized test to gain admittance.
Universities are changing so rapidly that it’s difficult to imagine what a college education will look like in ten years. Unfortunately, many colleges still place a great deal of importance on standardized tests, which are little more than IQ tests, and are difficult to improve on once your child understands basic test taking tricks.
Once your child gets over the test taking barrier at the university of their choice, their portfolio and critical thinking skills will be a big boost during the application and interviewing process.
Most importantly, they’ll be well prepared to shine in the real world, whether they choose to go to college full time, part time or not at all. -
Annual tuition is $13,800, with flexible payment options available:
Monthly Payment: $13,800 total, paid in 10 monthly installments from August through May
Semi-Annual Payment: $13,386 total, paid in two equal payments — one in August and one in January
One-Time Payment: $12,972 total, paid in full by August
(Tuition is adjusted for inflation annually.)
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Wonder is located in South Kansas City at 13611 Washington St, Kansas City, MO 64145.