Have questions?

Leadership Academy of Colorado (LACO) is a tuition-free program for grades six through twelve offered state-wide in Colorado. LACO is powered by the award winning Williamsburg Learning (WL) program. WL combines classical education— training students on how to think, not what think, with leadership training, technology immersion, and a culture of belonging with students all over the U.S. and throughout the world.

Yes. LACO is accredited by Cognia   and the Accrediting Commision for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC ). Cognia is one of the largest organizations of educational professionals in the world and accrediting partner to over 30,000 schools and school systems. ACS WASC works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools under the U.S. Department of State and provides assistance to schools worldwide, primarily in California, Hawaii, Guam, Asia, the Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

All credit earned at LACO is recognized by all other schools accredited by Cognia and ACS WASC. It is also recognized by most high schools accredited by other organizations. Most public and private high schools recognize and accept transfer credit from LACO. Graduates from Williamsburg schools have been admitted to some of the most selective universities in the United States.

You can view our certificate here.

Should you have any questions about earning credit, credit portability/transfer, or accreditation, please email support@williamsburglearning.com.

Yes, our Live-online and Self-paced core courses are NCAA-approved. 

Note: Our Foreign Language courses are not NCAA-approved.

LACO offers online courses in three formats (check out this page  on the Williamsburg Learning website for full details on each one):

• Live-online: Students meet together with a mentor in an online classroom and participate in live class discussions every week. Some live classes include an Honors version which includes a larger workload for students who want to go deeper.
• Self-paced: Students complete assignments on their own schedule and communicate via email, online student forums, and mentor office hours.
• Independent studies: Students earn academic credit independently with an approved mentor or program.

Because Leadership Academy of Colorado is online, our students can live anywhere in the state of Colorado. Our faculty and staff work from distributed offices in Colorado, throughout the U.S., and in some cases from international locations.

We attract bright and dedicated students who want to study the great minds and learn how to think, not what to think. Our program is challenging and requires self-discipline, initiative, and hard work.

Our students come from diverse backgrounds including home, public, and private schools. No particular background is necessary to become a successful student. A strong work ethic, eagerness to learn, and a desire to help others are the key ingredients of success at Leadership Academy of Colorado.

We call our teachers mentors, because they have the role of helping students develop as leaders, in addition to the traditional teacher role of helping them acquire knowledge. We have the highest standards and strongest filter in the industry when it comes to hiring talent. And, once hired, our mentors receive unequaled support and professional development. If you ask a Williamsburg student to tell you about their mentors, you are likely to hear words like engaging, fun, inspiring, smart, hilarious, caring, and talented. For many students and families, our mentors are a primary attraction to our program.

LACO and WL do not affiliate with or provide support to any faith, church, or religion. Our students come from a variety of religious and political backgrounds. We remain neutral and build a safe environment where students are free to be themselves, learn from each other, and share their ideas and beliefs in respectful ways.

We currently serve grades 6-12.

Though LACO is an online school and students can log into classes from anywhere, our students are required to be official residents of Colorado. Students must provide proof of residency upon enrollment and annually thereafter. The following documents may be used to prove residency:

• Property tax payment receipts
• Residential lease agreement (that encompasses the pupil enrollment count date)
• Rent payment receipts
• Utility service payment receipts

If you have any further questions, please contact Cynthia Cox, our Director at cynthia@williamsburglearning.com.

LACO is open to students in grades 6-12 who live anywhere in the state of Colorado. Students outside the state cannot attend LACO. However, our sister program, Williamsburg Academy , is a private high school and middle school. Both schools serve students across the U.S. and provide an experience and education similar to LACO.

We have a guideline, not a requirement. Students should be turning twelve during the academic year in which they enroll in sixth grade. Students should turn fifteen during the academic year in which they enroll in ninth grade. This age guideline is recommended for all of our courses, but we leave the final decision to parents and students because we know that some students are ready earlier or later for advancement. 

We work hard to find the balance between giving students a challenging workload and making sure it’s not so rigorous that students burn out. This can be a very delicate matter for younger students, so please make this decision carefully.

LACO students must take 4 or more classes per fall and winter semester.Middle school students must take four classes with a minimum of 2 Core classes. High school students must take four classes with a minimum of 2 Core classes. Courses can include live online classes, self-paced, and independent studies. 

Please contact our school counselor at counselor@lacolorado.org if you have questions or need help creating your student’s perfect schedule.

If your student would prefer to take 2-3 classes, you can enroll in Williamsburg’s Homeschool Enrichment (HSE) program through Colorado Education reEnvisioned (a BOCES). Learn more about enrollment in HSE at the bottom of our How to Register page.

LACO is a full-time academic program with its own pathway to graduation. Students who do not enroll full-time but wish to supplement their education may enroll in Williamsburg Learning’s Homeschool Enrichment (HSE) program.

In order to be a Leadership Academy of Colorado (LACO) student, LACO must be your only publicly funded curriculum provider. Exceptions include sports and other extracurricular activities offered at your local public school, that are not offered at LACO.

Leadership Academy of Colorado has no cap on enrollment. However, our students take Williamsburg Learning courses which fill up, so register early!

At LACO, families can register for courses before submitting an application, however, we suggest registering for courses before applying. Follow the process found on our How to Register page. You may also schedule an appointment with an enrollment advisor who will walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have.

If you want to submit an application first, you may do so in SIS .

Course registration for Fall and Winter semesters opens Monday of the first week of April for the upcoming school year. See our Academic Calendar for details on other important dates.

Yes! Every class is recorded and the links to recordings are made available to students usually within a few minutes of a live session ending.

If she only has an occasional time conflict with the live class, she can still enroll in the live class and watch the recordings when she can’t attend. If the conflict is weekly, she should either a) enroll in a course that doesn’t have live sessions, or b) take the course with live sessions and make special arrangements with the mentor to adjust time-sensitive assignments.

We take attendance at LACO through Canvas. Students should log in every day, including Friday.

Our average class size is between 18-20. However, live class maximums are set at different levels, depending on the type of course. For example, some of our seminar-style leadership classes will be larger, with 30+ students. On the other hand, some of our more advanced core classes will be as small as 12-15 students.

Yes. Most courses with live sessions require a certain minimum number of enrollments or the course will have to be canceled.

Yes, we accept transfer credit from accredited schools. This does not guarantee that all credits earned at other schools will transfer into our curriculum or count toward graduation. Students who plan to transfer credit should send a transcript from their previous school to our school counselor at counselor@lacolorado.org to find out how the credit will transfer, and what additional work will be required to graduate. 

Yes. LACO is accredited by Cognia and the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC ). All schools that are accredited by Cognia and ACS WASC agree to accept each other’s credit. Most–if not all–schools accredited by other accrediting bodies also accept our credit. However, each school sets its own credit transfer policy, and it is the responsibility of parents and students to check with other schools regarding their acceptance of credit from Leadership Academy of Colorado.

Yes. All LACO students have a Pathway to Graduation and progress is monitored by our Academic Counselor. Students who satisfy the graduation requirements will be awarded a diploma.  

Because we are accredited, LACO diplomas are accepted by colleges and universities.

LACO students are required to take either the ACT or SAT during their junior year or submit a waiver. LACO covers the cost of the exam for all students the first time. Students may retake the exams at their own expense. 

ACT and SAT scores are used as one criterion to meet Colorado’s State graduation requirements. Students who do not achieve minimum ACT/SAT scores may complete a Capstone Project. For more information, see Colorado's graduation guidelines here.

LACO’s Student Success Team is available to parents and struggling students to help them figure out how to succeed.  In addition, all mentors hold weekly office hours where students and parents can go for help. If your student is struggling, or if you have any questions about a course, visit office hours and ask the mentor to customize the workload for your student. The day and time of office hours are posted on each course homepage in Canvas. You can also email mentors anytime with questions, and they will respond within one school day.

Our course mentors have regular office hours where students can schedule a time to get 1:1 help with their questions. Students can easily make appointments for office hours or additional help from inside Canvas, our online learning management system. Contact our Student Success Team at studentsupport@lacolorado.org for assistance.

LACO offers support to students with IEPs, and 504s. Additionally, we support students with Advanced Learning Plans, Gifted and Talented, and English Language Learners.

Yes, our withdrawal policy is as follows:

• Students who withdraw from a course within the first 10 days of a semester receive no grade or record on their transcript
• Students who withdraw between 11-28 days receive a “W” for that course on their transcript
• Students who withdraw after 28 days receive an “F” for that course on their transcript

You can also find this full policy in the “Grading Policies: Withdrawal” section of the Parent-Student Handbook.

Our school community comprises the board, administration, staff, mentors, parent boosters, families, and individual students pulling together in a team effort to build a school culture that is friendly, inviting, accepting, and most importantly—fun! Each member of our community has a clear vision focused on student success and development. They live lives of meaning, purpose, and adventure both in and outside the classroom. Students and mentors are enthusiastic about education and support each other as each student explores their unique abilities and interests. Students build lasting friendships with youth of all faiths and beliefs, forming deep respect for each other. This is our culture.

The following information will give you a feel for our mission, methods, and curriculum.

A liberal arts education at Leadership Academy of Colorado is challenging. Students and parents must decide if the student is sufficiently motivated and self-directed to take on the challenge. Our mission is to prepare highly motivated and independent learners for leadership. Consequently, we have high expectations of students.

We use distance learning tools that give students the freedom to guide their own education. We trust our students to use that freedom wisely and appropriately.

We expect each student to:

• Work, read, and study independently.
• Set daily and weekly commitments, then exert the effort to meet those commitments.
• Spend several hours a day in and out of class studying, completing assignments, and thinking about how their learnings apply to their lives and futures.

You should only enroll in LACO if you are determined, excited, and prepared to meet these challenges. We invite you to meet with one of our Customer Support Team members so we can learn about your family’s needs and answer your questions.

Parents are required to meet with their student for 20 minutes each week and generally be involved and supportive of their students. Students do best when a parent or guardian is home to help them during the day.

Canvas is our learning management system (LMS). It’s the platform we use to deliver all our courses. Canvas is where students will receive and submit assignments, complete some of their studies, collaborate with classmates, and access their course syllabi and assignments. Parents may create an Observer account in Canvas in order to view their student’s assignments.

Student Information Services (SIS), is the online system parents use to create an account with us, register for courses, view snapshots of their student’s academic progress, and access transcripts and grades for completed courses. Parents create their own SIS accounts first, then add students individually. SIS recognized one email address per person, so parent and student may not share the same email address. Only one parent SIS account is required per student, but both parents can create their own account if they wish.

To register for courses, see your student’s progress, or reach out to your student’s mentors, visit this SIS page.

To submit a LACO application, go here in SIS .

No. As a public multi-district online school, we do not charge tuition or fees. 

Parents are responsible for providing high-speed internet.

Beginning Winter 2023, parents will place an order for all books and supplies through the LACO/Amazon book ordering process. (LACO will pay Amazon directly). 

We provide a laptop computer (to be returned at the end of the student’s tenure) with the appropriate operating system needed to participate in our courses. 

We do not cover the cost of software and subscriptions needed for some courses, e.g., Adobe software applications and magazine subscriptions.

Visit our Books, Computer, and Support page to learn more.

Yes. We believe that every LACO student has the ability to be a leader and change the world in a meaningful way. We expect our students to act accordingly. We expect every student to treat others with dignity and respect at all times, and to be truthful in all they say and do.

Plagiarism, cheating, or other falsification of research on projects, papers, or exams are not tolerated. Students agree in every course that they will not receive unwarranted help from any person and will complete all work for themselves. Honor code violations may result in a failing grade and/or being permanently expelled from Leadership Academy. Honor code violations are reported by mentors to the Director, and after consulting with the student and parents, a final course of action is chosen.

Leadership Academy of Colorado does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnic origin, sex, or religion. We welcome diversity in our programs and strive to have students of high moral character from diverse races, ethnicities, and religions. Understanding and embracing diversity is a key characteristic for leaders seeking a liberal education.