I Sent My Son to a Mountain Biking High School...

Where is your classroom?

Take a minute and imagine this – attending a high school where you were surrounded by only like-minded people that were as passionate about mountain biking as you are – schooling, then riding, every day. Except on weekends when it’s just riding. Now imagine doing your schoolwork with small groups of students where you have easy access to teachers to ask questions and have guidance so you’re clear on expectations and can have feedback along the way, giving you the best chance to be successful in high school. And even more, imagine that high school traveling around the world to the most epic mountain bike destinations out there, exploring trails, communities and cultures that exist outside your boundaries. Riding the best bike parks in the world, improving your bike skills at the dirt jumps, and if you’re into the climbing aspect of enduro riding, you get that too!


Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, let me introduce you to the World Class Academy Mountain Bike program (WCA). WCA is an accredited, private high school operating out of Washington State in the US.

When the school was first introduced to me by my son, I was intrigued and a little skeptical. Our kids’ education has always been a top priority for our family. We have been intentional with the path we selected in an effort for them to love learning and be engaged with their education. This path included homeschooling for most of their educational career. I needed to make sure that if we considered WCA that they offered courses and credits that were transferable to my country so my son could graduate with our local high school diploma in addition to the high school diploma from WCA. I reached out to the school to get more information and continued to do my research. We had email exchanges from the team and phone calls with the principal to answer our questions, and the leadership team also communicated directly with our local school authorities to make sure the credits could work, all before we could make a decision.


Having homeschooled my kids, I was used to having them around me all the time. Sending my son away to school was the most difficult thing for me to consider; I actually liked having him around. However, he is a passionate mountain biker. He got his first bike for his first birthday, and his passion grew year after year. We considered this program because of his love of bikes and believed this was an experience that matched his passion, work ethic, focus, and future endeavors.


The price tag was a huge consideration. We are not a family with excess financial resources. If we were going to pursue this option of education, it was going to mean a lot of sacrifices for our family. Knowing scholarships were available, my son put together and submitted a scholarship application.


In 2021-22, my son attended the inaugural year of the World Class Academy Mountain Bike program. Although this was the first year for the mountain bike program, the school has been in operation for more than 20 years with kayak, climbing, and kiteboarding programs. The pillars of the school are academics first, followed by character building, overall athleticism, and then sport-specific skills. You do not have to be a world-class rider to attend this school – it is for all levels.


They have a high teacher-to-student ratio (when my son attended, it was 4:10), and they are with the students 24/7. The teachers are the coaches and mentors as well, and the passion they have for what they are doing shows in the quality of instruction and the connection they have with the kids. Each student is assigned a mentor, so as a parent, I knew who to contact if there were any issues, and my son had someone to talk to about any challenges he was experiencing.


The school is no joke. My son has always been academic and entered this program with a 4.0 GPA. The expectations are high. The level of instruction is high. The workload is challenging. He was able to take AP-level courses to help him prepare for post-secondary. The level of instruction he received was higher than anything he experienced at our local (online) public school system. They are serious about their academics first. If you are not performing at an acceptable level academically, you don’t get to ride.


The school has practices in place to support the kids’ growth in responsibility, independence, confidence, and character. For example, if you don’t show up for morning workout, you don’t get to ride that day. The mentors work with the kids to set goals and then track them through the quarter. The kids are responsible for preparing meals, cleaning up, and managing their workload and their space. The kids contribute to the community they are staying in and participate in the cultural experience where they have the opportunity. The program is demanding, and when my son came home after each quarter, he was tired, and needed the time to recover and prepare for the next quarter. More importantly, however, every time my son came home there was a noticeable, positive change in his confidence.


Although kids headed for the World Cup circuit have attended the school, WCA is not a racing school or a place you necessarily go to become a professional mountain biker. It is not intended or that; however, becoming a better rider is inevitable given the number of hours spent on the bike, the one-on-one coaching you receive and the people you surround yourself with.


Sending my son on this adventure was one of the most difficult things I’d done. I did it because it wasn’t about me; it was about the opportunity he had for a life-changing experience in a sport he loved more than anything. It was helpful that we got weekly emails from his mentor on his academic, athletic, character, and interpersonal development. We also got regular updates from the program director on what they were up to and how the quarter was progressing. They always kept us posted on travel days, so I didn’t have to wonder what was happening.



I get that this type of program is not for everyone. It will depend on a lot of variables. However, if your kid is as passionate about mountain biking as my son is, and you value quality education and life experiences, I highly recommend doing what you can to make this opportunity a reality for your kid. I “kicked” my son from the nest, hoping the tools and skills I gave him to this point would help him learn to fly on the way down. And he soared.

If you are considering this program for your child and have any questions, I am more than happy to answer them from a parent’s perspective. Just send me a message @cgsunshines .

If you are possibly interested in World Class Academy - check out their website. WCA is still accepting applications for the '23-'24 school year.