About 4 years ago, we met some inspiring individuals who were opening an Acton Academy in Southern Utah. As they shared that vision with us, we were inspired by their journey and it fueled a fire that had been ignited within in us years before.
We have a strong desire to provide a better learning environment for our own children. Nick survived the public school system and university education system and developed methods and coping skills, but the main take-away was survival, not education. Real learning is one of the most bright and joyful opportunities God gives us, and there is always a better way to learn. Acton Academy is a better way to learn.
Nick, Jessica, and their 4 heroes-Paisley, Cruz, Marlow, and Knox-are fulfilling a dream by starting an Acton Academy in the coastal town of Hampstead, North Carolina. Starting an Acton Academy has been difficult and daunting, but filled with hope and joy, and it's very needed for young heroes like our children.
We are adventurers on a hero's journey, just like you.
We're looking forward to learning with you.
We are located at 226 Ocean Highway in Holly Ridge, NC.
Jeff Sandefer lives a dual life as an entrepreneur and a Socratic Guide. As an entrepreneur, he founded his first company at age 16 and went on to found or co-found seven successful businesses. As a Socratic teacher at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students five times voted him the school’s Outstanding Teacher and Businessweek named him one of the top Entrepreneurship professors in America.
Jeff went on to co-found the Acton School of Business, an MBA program perennially ranked by the Princeton Review among the best in the nation. In 2012 The Economist honored him as one of the top fifteen Business School professors in the world.
Jeff is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, where he served for over twenty years on the school’s governing committees. He was a longtime director of the Philanthropy Roundtable and National Review magazine and one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
Laura lived on both US coasts and in between as a child, then settled into Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After being awarded the highly competitive Walter Wattles Fellowship at Lloyd’s of London, Laura worked in the aviation insurance industry in New York City.
Deciding to follow her calling into the world of education, Laura returned to Nashville and earned her Master of Education at Peabody College. This led her to her work at the Oklahoma Arts Institute, creating fine arts education programs for teachers and talented high school students.
Laura married Jeff Sandefer and is the happy mother of Sam and Charlie and step-mother to Taite. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to co-found Acton Academy.
Her greatest hero is her mother who was a Master Teacher. Her wisest mentor is her father who sent her off to college with two words of advice: "Be curious."
Begin a Hero’s Journey,
Discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery.
Become a curious, independent, life-long learner.
Embrace the forging of a strong character.
Cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life.
Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom.
We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way;
We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
We believe in a closely connected family of life-long learners.
We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
