Sci5Science Academy

The program

Five belts. Each one earned.

Placement decides where a student starts. Each belt ends with an exam, and students move up when they’ve mastered the material. The track ends at command of a science at the level of a 5 on the AP® exam.

The track

What each belt builds.

Open now

Yellow belt, starting January 2027. The other belts open as our first students advance.

White belt

First real science

A first science course built on measuring, observing and asking why.

Planned

By the end, your child can

  • Measure carefully, record data and spot patterns in it.
  • Explain forces, light, sound and matter with simple models.
  • Describe cells, ecosystems and how the body works as a system.

Ready to start when your child

is curious and comfortable with everyday arithmetic.

Yellow belt

Science with real math

Physics with real math, with chemistry and biology woven into every unit. Runs January to June, plus a summer session.

Opens January 2027

By the end, your child can

  • Solve physics problems with ratios, graphs and equations.
  • Connect motion, forces and energy to chemistry and the human body.
  • Design a fair experiment and defend a claim with evidence.

Ready to start when your child

is comfortable with ratios, percents and simple equations. Try 3 sample questions.

Green belt

Algebra-based science

The heaviest core course: algebra-based physics and chemistry, and quantitative biology.

Planned

By the end, your child can

  • Solve multi-step problems in motion, forces, gravitation and momentum.
  • Use atomic structure, bonding, the mole and gas laws in chemistry.
  • Explain enzymes, membranes and genetics with data.

Ready to start when your child

has earned the Yellow belt, or shows that level at placement.

Purple belt

One science in depth

Students choose physics, chemistry or biology and work at the depth of the AP® course.

Planned

By the end, your child can

  • Work AP®-course problems in their chosen science.
  • Plan and carry out a longer investigation.
  • Read and explain real scientific writing.

Ready to start when your child

has earned the Green belt.

Black belt

Mastery

Command of a science at the level of a 5 on the AP® exam. Students can earn a Black belt in more than one science.

Planned

By the end, your child can

  • Show that level of command in their science.
  • Take on olympiad-style problems.
  • Teach and explain the subject to others.

Ready to start when your child

has earned the Purple belt.

Beyond the Black belt

Olympiad preparation for F=ma (physics), USNCO (chemistry) and USABO (biology).

Three sciences

Physics, chemistry and biology, connected from the start.

Students see how the sciences explain the same world, which is how scientists think.

Physics

Motion, forces, energy and waves

  • Why seat belts save lives
  • Your own power, measured in watts
  • How a guitar string makes sound

Chemistry

What matter is made of, and how it changes

  • Why a steel ship floats
  • What really happens in a reaction
  • Reading the periodic table

Biology

The living body as a system, down to its cells

  • Muscles and joints as machines
  • DNA you can see
  • How cells move water in and out

Inside a class

Two hours of curiosity, hands-on work and real problem solving.

  1. A real question

    Each class opens with a question chosen to make students curious, like why a seat belt saves lives or why a steel ship floats.

  2. Hands-on investigation

    Students work in small groups to measure, test and collect their own data.

  3. The idea, taught properly

    The instructor explains the concept in depth, then students practice it on real problems, showing every step.

  4. Explain and stretch

    Students explain their thinking out loud, then take on a harder challenge.

Progress

Progress you can see, every few weeks.

Every class

A short quiz

Each class ends with a quick check, so practice is spread through the term.

Every unit

80% to pass

Students who miss the mark review with the instructor and retake. Retakes are normal.

Every belt

A belt exam

A final exam shows what each student has mastered and earns the belt.

Homework: 75–90 minutes a week. Problems are tiered: core problems for everyone, plus stretch problems where an honest attempt counts.
Written progress reports in March and June, comparing each student with their own placement results.

Sample experiments

Eight experiments from across the belts.

Actual experiments vary by belt and class.

PhysicsBiology

The ruler-drop reaction lab

Catch a falling ruler, then use the physics of free fall to turn centimeters into your reaction time in seconds.

BiologyPhysics

Salmon in a paper river

A toy salmon swims upstream on a moving paper river. Why can a strong swimmer still drift backward?

Physics

Crash-test ramp

Double a toy car’s speed and measure how much farther it pushes a block. Hint: it’s not twice as far.

PhysicsBiology

How many watts are you?

Climb a flight of stairs quickly, time it, and compare your power with a light bulb and a microwave.

BiologyChemistry

Leaves that float

Spinach-leaf disks sink, then rise as they make oxygen in the light: photosynthesis you can watch.

ChemistryPhysics

Density detectives

Identify mystery cubes by their mass and volume, and work out why a steel ship floats while a paper clip sinks.

BiologyChemistry

Strawberry DNA

Dish soap, salt and cold rubbing alcohol pull visible strands of DNA out of a strawberry. An adult handles the alcohol.

Physics

The pendulum capstone

Design a fair test: does string length, mass or swing size set a pendulum’s rhythm? Then defend your answer.

Start with the Yellow belt in January.

See the dates, the schedule and what students will be able to do by June.

See the January classCheck readiness