HELPING STUDENTS FIND JOY, PURPOSE, AND THEMSELVES
“WE DON’T TEACH KIDS
WHAT TO THINK.
WE HELP THEM LEARN
HOW TO LEAD.”
-DR. JAKE GUNROE, PRINCIPAL
IN A QUIET CORNER OF TEMPE, SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY IS HAPPENING.
IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE YOUR TYPICAL MIDDLE SCHOOL—BECAUSE IT ISN’T. AT LEADAZ PRIVATE SCHOOL, CLIPBOARDS AND STANDARDIZED TESTS TAKE A BACK SEAT TO SOMETHING DEEPER: A BELIEF THAT EVERY CHILD ALREADY HAS EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO THRIVE. THEY JUST NEED THE RIGHT SPACE TO DISCOVER IT.
FOUNDED IN 2023 BY A TEAM OF EDUCATORS AND LEADERSHIP COACHES WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF RESEARCH BEHIND THEM, LEADAZ BEGAN WITH A BOLD QUESTION:
WHAT IF SCHOOL WASN’T ABOUT MOLDING KIDS, BUT ABOUT HELPING THEM UNFOLD?
THAT SINGLE IDEA SPARKED A MODEL UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE IN ARIZONA.
AT LEADAZ, STUDENTS AREN’T NUMBERS. THEY’RE COLLABORATORS. DREAMERS. DECISION-MAKERS. THE SCHOOL USES WHAT THEY CALL THE NO-INFLUENCE METHOD, A FRAMEWORK ROOTED IN MENTORSHIP, PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY, AND RADICAL STUDENT AUTONOMY.
THERE ARE NO BELLS.
NO RIGID SCHEDULES.
NO LECTURES THAT DRIFT OVER DISTRACTED HEADS.
INSTEAD, EVERY PART OF THE SCHOOL EXPERIENCE IS INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED TO FEEL CALM, CONNECTED, AND JOYFUL—BECAUSE JOY IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT TO REAL LEARNING.
LEADAZ CURRENTLY SERVES STUDENTS IN GRADES 6–8, WITH AN AVERAGE 5:1 STUDENT-TO-INSTRUCTOR RATIO. THAT MEANS EVERY CHILD IS SEEN, HEARD, AND SUPPORTED—NO GETTING LOST IN THE SHUFFLE.
FAMILIES ARE DRAWN NOT JUST TO THE STRUCTURE, BUT THE PHILOSOPHY:SIMPLIFY THE NOISE SO STUDENTS CAN FOCUS. HONOR INDIVIDUALITY INSTEAD OF STANDARDIZING IT. PROMOTE ACTION, NOT JUST INFORMATION.
AS A RESULT, STUDENTS GRADUATE MORE THAN ACADEMICALLY PREPARED—THEY LEAVE WITH A STRONGER SENSE OF WHO THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY WANT TO GO NEXT.
IN A TIME WHEN MANY SCHOOLS ARE CHASING TEST SCORES OR TRYING TO “DISRUPT” EDUCATION, LEADAZ IS QUIETLY DOING SOMETHING FAR MORE POWERFUL: RETURNING TO THE HEART OF IT ALL.
THEY’VE BUILT A SCHOOL WHERE SELF-AWARENESS MATTERS AS MUCH AS ACADEMICS, WHERE RELATIONSHIPS COME BEFORE RUBRICS, AND WHERE LEARNING IS TREATED AS A LIFELONG JOURNEY—NOT A CHECKLIST.
THEY’RE NOT JUST PREPARING STUDENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL. THEY’RE PREPARING THEM FOR LIFE.
LOCATION:
1602 S PRIEST DR,
SUITE 101, TEMPE, AZ
WEBSITE:
SCHOOL.LEADAZ.ORG
EMAIL:
ADMIN@LEADAZ.ORG
PHONE:
(480) 269-0144
