Mission and Vision

Academia Antonia Alonso is a public dual language charter school that nurtures bilingual, biliterate and multicultural children in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 2014 with a vision for innovative child-centered and family-oriented education, La Academia has grown into a thriving community that provides English and Spanish immersion from Kindergarten to 5th grade. At the heart of La Academia is the mission to cultivate joy in learning.

La Academia’s community is diverse. Each of our 600+ students bring unique strengths and needs that an integrated Student Support Team works to meet each day. Communication and collaboration between staff and families allow La Academia to consider the whole child and foster academic success through a foundation of emotional and social wellbeing. La Academia is a place where children and families feel they truly belong.

Differentiated instruction in our classrooms means that students are challenged and supported according to their needs. With teaching models and tools like Responsive Classrooms and mindfulness, La Academia creates an environment where students feel safe and confident. This environment encourages students to express their curiosity and creativity, to explore, and to take risks in learning, all of which are key to academic achievement.

The culture in our classrooms is reflected in all areas of our school. Students succeed when their teachers thrive and teachers thrive when they have the resources to be prepared, inspired, and supported. Our students and families recognize the hard work, care, and excellence that La Academia’s staff provide.

To inspire children to become joyful, confident, creative, bilingual learners.  

UNIDOS in a more just, inclusive and kind world. 

Academia Antonia Alonso’s core philosophy is to create a school where students investigate who they are and what role they play in a diverse society. Our students will be encouraged to become strong community leaders, as well as advocates on local, national, and global stages. Our academic program will provide students with a sense of community and global awareness, as well as 21st century skills. The academic program combines a Two-Way Dual Language Immersion model and Project Based Learning (PBL) methodology. The integration of these two learning approaches support students’ instructional and language acquisition needs.

​Wrap-around services offered through the Latin American Community Center will complement the academic program and provide optional before- and after-school support and language acquisition programs for families whose children attend Academia Antonia Alonso.

At Academia Antonia Alonso, we believe that how children learn is just as important as what they learn.

Our curriculum is framed around the unifying themes of biliteracy and active learning.  Project Based Learning and a Two Way Dual Immersion Program are the collective forces behind our curriculum.

Project Based Learning provides opportunities for student to learn through interactive, hands-on projects that spark curiosity, promote active learning, encourage teamwork, build character, and capitalize on children’s desire to explore.  Students engage in real-world issues, learn to make connections, understand diverse perspectives, develop conclusions, and generalize to big ideas.

All Academia Antonia Alonso students learn to speak, read and write in English and Spanish. Our dual language program starts in kindergarten, at an age when children learn languages easily, and continues through 5th grade.

Students spend half their time learning in English and half in Spanish. Reading and writing in both languages is integrated into all our expeditions and across all subject matters.  Students do not need prior knowledge of Spanish or English to enroll.

The first weeks of each school year are dedicated to the evaluation of students’ language and academic levels to ensure differentiated and learner-centered instruction. Students receive intensive vocabulary development in English and Spanish.  During this time, students also begin exploring the world through Project Based Learning to ensure that they start off the school year understanding the focus and goals of the school.