Our Students

Gifted, twice exceptional, and other students who want to
accelerate their learning thrive in Fusion’s one-to-one classrooms.

With just them in the class, the teacher is able to move the pace of the course along, dive deeper into the subject matter, and help students enjoy learning. When in a traditional class setting these students become bored, and their grades may suffer even though their intelligence is high.

“Our son struggled in the traditional high school setting. He is very bright, but lost focus with social distractions, and had trouble with accountability and self-motivation… Our son thrived in the one-to-one classroom setting and began earning straight A’s. He was also able to take classes at an accelerated rate and graduated a year ahead of schedule. He loved his teachers, learned time management, became self-motivated, and decided he wanted to study engineering in college. He applied to eight engineering programs and was accepted to six of them.

He received an academic scholarship at Ohio State University, the largest university in the country, and started as a 17-year-old. I was worried about the size of the school after attending Fusion, but he had no problem with the transition. That was almost four years ago. Now he is graduating with a degree in Computer Engineering, is on the Engineering Dean’s List, and will be working for Amazon as a Software Engineer. Fusion was absolutely the foundation of my son’s success. They truly help students find their best selves!”

— Lisa Bayindirli, Fusion Solana Beach Parent

A classroom with just one student and one teacher provides an
environment with less distractions than a classroom of 30 or more.

Teachers personalize course content to each student’s individual interests, resulting in a higher level of engagement. Because there’s no one else in class to slow down, students can follow their thoughts fully and work with teachers to get back on track. By exploring their learning style, students feel seen, heard, and understood. In the Homework Café, students can complete their coursework on campus with the help and support of a caring staff, eliminating the battle for you at home.

“My son Matthew was always an enigma: he was extraordinarily bright, but produced little work. By the time he made it to middle school, we were devoting 3-4 hours per night to get his homework done. Testing showed him to have ADD and we decided to try medication. It helped a bit. We thought changing schools from private to public when he started high school would help as well. It did because his freshman year was a review of what he had done in middle school and he somehow made it through.

Sophomore year was another story. He could not get any homework done. Our family evenings were completely devoted to getting SOME of his homework done. He was miserable and thought of himself as a failure. By the end of the first semester, he was failing 3 classes. I started looking for alternatives. My mother spotted an article about Fusion opening in the Chicago area. We reached out for more information and thought the 1:1 approach would be great for Matt. We LOVED the homework being done at school concept.

We signed up and have not looked back. In the two years Matt has been at Fusion, he has grown into a confident, happy, and successful young man. He has discovered his passion, art. He chose a college and worked hard to get in. He is aware of his strengths and his weaknesses. He has become an amazing, articulate young man. We are very proud of him. Fusion has not only changed Matt. It has changed our family. We are happier, calmer, and a more cohesive unit. We have fun with our children without arguing about homework. We have actually taken several vacations— something very unusual for us. Thank you for coming to Chicago when you did”

— Sanja Nikolich, Fusion Oak Brook Parent

“Our daughter was making honor roll, barely, in her public school, but was truly struggling due to her ADD condition We just weren’t able to engage the school in being interested in helping her; they did not seem to understand or really care about her as an individual. Since coming to Fusion, our daughter has thrived academically. The one-on-one instruction is ideal for a child with ADD, and the level of teaching has also raised her intellectual level to the point where she is now a critical thinker, capable of independent analysis of complicated matters beyond where she was, and beyond where we believe she ever would have been, were it not for Fusion. Thank you!”

– Frank Cicero, Fusion Academy Westchester Parent

“My son struggled through school for 8 years before we found Fusion. He has pretty significant ADHD and some learning disabilities and was always so unhappy at school. Now, when he has to be away from school for one reason or another, he can’t wait to go back! He feels valued and cared for at Fusion rather than marginalized and discarded. I am so very grateful!“

— Ariella Goodwine Fisher, Fusion San Mateo Parent

For students who struggle with anxiety,
Fusion provides a safe space to be themselves.

School can cause unnecessary anxiety for many reasons: large overwhelming classrooms, feeling lost or left behind in class, fear of asking questions or for help, social pressures, and so much more. In a classroom of one, students are free to ask questions without fear of ridicule or slowing the class down. Fusion campuses don’t have as many students as larger traditional schools, which allows for a close-knit support community. Our teachers also act as mentors and are able to pause and address any anxieties a student may be experiencing during class.

“I cannot say enough good things about Fusion Academy Miracle Mile. After four years of high school and four different schools – Fusion turned out to be the perfect place for our daughter to complete her education. The structure of one-on-one instruction combined with the homework café was perfect for a student with anxiety issues. No more cycle of our daughter freaking out because she got stuck on homework and couldn’t get the help she needed, so couldn’t complete it, so wouldn’t want to attend school the next day, and would then fall further behind!

Our daughter started at Fusion with some summer courses and tutoring to catch up. She ended up attending
full-time for her senior year and in that one year became so much more excited about going to school, and engaged in her classes and with her teachers. Her self-confidence grew exponentially. The administrators at Fusion, as well as the teachers, are very hands on and know and care deeply about their students. They make sure the families are involved and well informed of the progress of their students. The daily emails from teachers summarizing activities, subject matter covered, and progress eliminate the stress of wondering how your child is doing. The best part of the whole experience was seeing the acceptance letters our daughter received from some top notch universities which without Fusion probably wouldn’t have happened.”

— Linda Rachlin, Fusion Academy Miracle Mile Parent

“This was the place where our daughter leaped the chasm between failure and anxiety to success and self-esteem. The unique environment and highly motivated teachers LISTENED to our child and tapped into the way she learns. The results of this are a delight to see.”

— Henry Sopher, Fusion Academy Montclair Parent

We have many students who have passions outside of Fusion that
make it tricky to attend school during traditional hours or months.

Whether your student is an actor, athlete, has health struggles that cause frequent absences, your family travels, or has a challenging schedule for another reason, Fusion’s customized scheduling could be the solution.

For example: Robby was a snowboarder who spent the valuable winter months training and competing. At Fusion, Robby was able to complete his courses during the warmer months and continue pursuing the sport that he loved. Click here to read more about Robby.

With classes being one-to-one, all that’s needed for class to take place is your student and their teacher. This allows for a more flexible schedule than a traditional school environment. Students can start their day early or later depending on what works best for them and their family. Fusion is open past traditional school hours, and operates year round. Students can start any time of the year, even mid-semester. Our Directors of Student Development work with families to create a schedule that works best for them, and makes sure they have the right credits to complete their graduation requirements.

“It’s a joy to see the lack of constant stress in my daughter’s face. She’s an elite athlete, and since coming to Fusion I can see her being able to enjoy life and her beloved soccer without being judged and constantly feeling like she is falling behind. She can finally be herself.”

— Maurizio Cascapera, Fusion Pasadena Parent

“I can’t rant and rave enough about what Fusion team has done for her. The schedule is customized to fit her needs and within this space she finds ample support to explore new subjects, continue and build on core subjects and actually develop a love of learning. Natalya calls the Fusion Team her extended family and we truly feel that she feels supported just like a family. The academics are strong and the one on one set up ensures that any area of weakness or strengths don’t go unnoticed. Parents receive a daily report from each teacher that outlines how your student performed that day. With this amount of detailed information we feel equipped to best support our daughter along her educational path.”

– Natasha Rahban, Fusion Miracle Mile Parent

“Prior to attending Fusion, Luke started struggling during his 8th grade year in the traditional school setting. He was diagnosed with anxiety, OCD, and an autoimmune illness. Luke missed many days getting treatment and fell behind academically and socially, which added to the pressure of trying to keep up with his make-up work and complete his courses on time. While suffering from anxiety, OCD, and health issues, attending his traditional school became an increasingly high source of anxiety for Luke on many levels. We started searching for other schools that could meet Luke’s unique needs.

After hearing about Fusion, we scheduled our first tour. Luke left our tour excited about going to school for the first time in several years. I saw an enthusiasm and smile on Luke’s face that had been missing for so long. Fusion was the school we were searching for. Fusion has had such a positive impact on Luke and our entire family. There is no stigma there. The teachers accept each child for who they are and meets each child wherever they are in their journey. The individual one-to-one teaching approach is exactly what Luke needed. Since attending Fusion, Luke has transformed into a successful student that is thriving and loves school once again. By attending Fusion, Luke has been able to get treatment when needed without the pressure of keeping up in a traditional school setting. Each teacher formulates a one-to-one individual teaching plan that is geared specifically to meet Luke’s educational needs and proceed at a pace that fits Luke’s needs. The flexibility has made a huge difference in getting treatment for Luke. The philosophy of no homework is amazing! All homework is done in school allowing us to be a family again without the stress and interruption of homework.

Fusion gave Luke a second chance at becoming successful in high school academically, socially, and emotionally. We will forever be grateful for the amazing positive impact that Fusion has had on Luke and our entire family.”

— Danyne Senft, Fusion Cherry Hill Parent