About · Our Story

Four years, one class at a time

Every number on this page is a student who found a school that fit.

Draft: five figures still need confirming

Every unconfirmed value is highlighted in amber on the page. Fix the numbers, remove class="draft" from the <body> tag, and both the highlights and this notice disappear. After October 6 the Yass Alumni Award line in 2026–27 needs a result.

The Freedom Institute opened in Naples in the fall of 2023 with 18 students and two Success Coaches. Four school years later it runs three programs across two campuses and online, has graduated 56 students, and has been recognized by the Yass Prize, SWFL Inc., the Everglades Foundation, and the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy. Here is that run, year by year.

18
Students on day one, 2023
56
Graduates since inception
3
Programs today
4
School years in
Enrollment

Every year has ended bigger than it started.

End-of-year enrollment, 2023 to today. Select a bar to jump to that school year.

2026–27 shows first-day enrollment. That year is still in progress.

Year by year

The whole run, start to now

Select a school year to see enrollment, staffing, graduates, campuses, and what happened that year.

Year one · 2023–24

Freedom opens in Naples

Eighteen students on the first day. Fifty by the last. Families found the school faster than the school could advertise itself.

First day
18
Last day
50

Enrollment grew by 32 students during the school year, almost entirely by word of mouth.

2
Success Coaches
4
Graduates this year
4
Graduates to date
1
Location

Where we taught

That year

  • The Freedom Institute of Collier County opensFounded by Tom Grady, Ed Morton, and Tad Dekko
  • First graduating classFour students finish under the C5 curriculum
Year two · 2024–25

Enrollment more than doubles

The coaching model held as the school grew. Coaches doubled with the roster, and the graduating class went from four students to eighteen.

First day
Confirming
Last day
110

Year-over-year growth compares end-of-year enrollment: 50 students in 2023–24, 110 in 2024–25.

4
Success Coaches
18
Graduates this year
22
Graduates to date
1
Location

Where we taught

That year

  • 2024 Yass Prize SemifinalistFirst national recognition, from the Center for Education Reform
  • Second graduating classEighteen graduates, four times the first year
Yass Prize 2024 Semifinalist
Year three · 2025–26

A second program, and two million dollars

Freedom AI took the model online and hybrid. Two grants worth a million dollars each landed in the same year, and the awards followed.

First day
Confirming
Last day
142

Year-over-year growth compares end-of-year enrollment: 110 students in 2024–25, 142 in 2025–26.

5
Success Coaches
34
Graduates this year
56
Graduates to date
2
Programs

Where we taught

That year

  • $1M AI grantFunding the AI-powered learning program
  • $1M match grant for calendar year 2026Every dollar given during 2026 is matched
  • 2025–26 Everglades Champion School Award
  • 2026 SWFL Inc. Incredible Awards, Innovation Award
SWFL Inc. Incredible Awards 2026 Innovation Award Winner Global Recognition Awards 2026 Winner
This year · 2026–27

A second campus opens in Ave Maria

Three programs now: Naples, Ave Maria, and Freedom Anywhere online. The year is still running, so the closing numbers land in June.

First day
190
Last day
Updates June 2027

Freedom started this year with more students than it finished any prior year with.

8
Success Coaches
–
Graduates, June 2027
56
Graduates to date
3
Programs

Where we teach

This year so far

  • Freedom Ave Maria opensThe second physical campus
  • $1M match grant continues through calendar year 2026Every dollar given during 2026 is matched
  • 2026 Banner School, top 13Chick-fil-A Leader Academy
  • 2026 Yass Prize Alumni Award contenderOne of twelve alumni selected. Winners announced October 6, 2026. Follow the run
Yass Prize 2026 Alumni Award contender Edison Awards 2026 Nominee
What comes next

Year five starts with the students in year four.

Every figure above began as one family deciding to try something different. Come see the school, or help us hold a seat for the next student who needs one.

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