No Bricks and Mortar, No Barrier to Top Education

Crimson Global Academy, a 100% virtual school founded in Auckland, New Zealand, with students joining live classes from 55 countries around the world, has been named in the Top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prize for Innovation.

Founded by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanah, the five World’s Best School Prizes - for Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Innovation, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives - acknowledge schools everywhere for the role they play in developing the next generation of learners. The Prizes were established to share the best practices of schools that are transforming the lives of their students and making a real difference to their communities.

Crimson Global Academy is embracing innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Recognising the challenges posed by 100% virtual education, the school has designed a comprehensive programme that not only mitigates the shortcomings of virtual learning but also nurtures healthy and thriving student communities. Through a combination of expert educators, cutting-edge technology, and personalised instruction, Crimson Global Academy is redefining the boundaries of online education.

The school’s ability to assemble a team of highly experienced educators and school operators has been instrumental in surpassing the limitations of virtual education and has laid the foundation for its success. Its approach to instruction incorporates weekly live sessions, both group and individual meetings, a virtual badging system to promote engagement, and a community platform that empowers students to take on leadership opportunities. Furthermore, its faculty-led student clubs, in-person meetups, and comprehensive career and university guidance provide a holistic and enriching educational experience.

One of the key innovations is Crimson Global Academy’s flexibility in delivering a mix of group and one-on-one instruction. This flexibility enables students to schedule their studies for maximum productivity, access appropriately challenging courses across subjects without grade-level limitations, and benefit from the expertise of top-tier teachers.

Crimson Global Academy has seen exceptional achievements through its innovative approach. Consistently surpassing global averages, 40% of students achieve a score of 5 on their AP exams, compared to the global average of 12%. Additionally, 45% of students achieve a perfect 9/9 on their IGCSE exams. Such academic results have opened doors for students, with many gaining acceptance into prestigious universities worldwide, including Columbia, Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge.

This success is particularly noteworthy considering Crimson Global Academy is only three years old, but it is further underscored by a 3rd-place ranking for Online High School in America by Niche.com.

Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, said, “The schools shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prizes, no matter where they can be found or what they teach, all have one thing in common. They all have a strong school culture. Their leaders know how to attract and motivate exceptional educators, inspire change, and build excellent teaching and learning environments.

The Top 3 finalists for each of the five World’s Best School Prizes will be announced in September 2023 followed by the winners in October. The winner of each Prize will be chosen based on rigorous criteria by a Judging Academy comprising distinguished leaders across the globe including academics, educators, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, government, civil society, and the private sector.

A prize of US$250,000 will be equally shared among the winners of the five Prizes, with each receiving an award of US$50,000. 

All 50 shortlisted schools will be invited to share their best practices through events on the T4 Communities app or School Transformation Toolkits that showcase their “secret sauce” to innovative approaches and step-by-step instructions on how others can replicate their methods to help improve education everywhere.