ABOUT US
Apogee NTX is a mixed-age, project-based learning environment.
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."
– Albert Einstein
Owned Learning
Kids set their own goals and learn to manage them, with coaching along the way. They plan, follow through, and own their progress instead of waiting to be told what to do.
No Grade-level Ceilings
We serve ages 4 to 17, with personalized plans that don't cap a kid at a grade level. If your 5-year-old is ready for 9-year-old work, we adjust their day so they keep moving.
Built Around Your Child
Learning matched to their pace and interests, whether they're ready to move faster or want to go deeper into something they love.
Ready for What's Next
Kids learn how to think and solve real problems. They carry that confidence into new rooms, new teams, and adult life.
What makes us different?
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Our Philosophy
We're not a traditional school, and that's on purpose. We're a private academic enrichment community for families who want a self-directed approach.
Instead of one-size-fits-all lessons, kids learn through hands-on, self-directed work. That builds critical thinking, communication, and grit. Those skills matter whether a kid heads to college, starts a career, or builds a business. Along the way, they build confidence, independence, and a love of learning that sticks.
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Building a Real Community
It's natural to wonder about the social side of small, mixed-age groups. What we see is the opposite of what most parents expect. Relationships get stronger. Kids connect across ages, learn to collaborate, and get comfortable speaking up. In a small group, no one disappears into the crowd. Every child is known, supported, and pushed to grow.
Daily Structure
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Morning: We start with a group discussion to get minds moving. Then 2 hours of focused academics. Kids can keep using the curriculum you already use at home, or we'll suggest options that fit your child(ren). Support is always there in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.
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Afternoon: Afternoons are for hands-on work and real skills. Depending on the day, that's public speaking, financial literacy, outdoor education, a passion project, or entrepreneurship. It stays flexible so kids can follow their interests.
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Life Skills Focus: Across the week, kids practice what most classrooms skip: teamwork, pushing through a hard thing, setting goals, even running a small business.
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How We Work: Our class leads spark curiosity and keep kids engaged instead of lecturing from the front. We pick them for their ability to build confidence and resilience, and many bring real-world experience from fields like tech and finance.
MEET OUR TEAM
Lauren Penn
Founder
Like a lot of parents, I wanted something different for my kids. An education that sparked curiosity, encouraged critical thinking, and didn’t require them to sit quietly in a room of 30 kids following the same script. I wanted them asking “why,” taking ownership of their learning, and seeing education as something that grows with them, not something confined to walls and bells.
But I also wanted more than strong academics. I wanted my kids to understand that freedom comes with responsibility to themselves, their family, and their community. That meant real-world skills too, from financial literacy to changing a flat tire, the kind of things you actually need once life starts happening.
When we couldn’t find a program that truly aligned with that vision, we did what most slightly stubborn, optimistic parents do. We built it. Smack in the middle of COVID, five years ago, the timing forced the issue and opened the door. Since then, I’ve helped launch two homeschool co-ops, and as my children have grown, this mission has grown right alongside them.
Apogee NTX exists to give families the kind of educational option I wanted for my own kids. One that builds independent thinkers, responsible young people, and confident kids who are ready for the real world, not just the next test.
Cameron Penn
Co-Founder
For more than 20 years, I built and led Hey Guy Media, a Dallas–Fort Worth–based communications and creative firm that developed campaigns for brands including Mattel, Toyota, KinderCare, Chipotle, General Motors, Shell, IHOP, and Disney.
My work has covered brand and product launches, executive and internal communications, crisis response, and long-form content across corporate, nonprofit, and public-sector organizations.
Earlier in my career, I spent more than a decade in broadcast television with HBO and ESPN. Along the way, I earned two National Emmy Awards and helped produce more than 2,000 hours of live programming, including SportsCenter, the NFL Draft, Inside the NFL, and On the Record with Bob Costas.
I later stepped into public service, where I developed and implemented the first external communications strategy for the National Reconnaissance Office, one of the intelligence community’s most sensitive and consequential agencies.
I’ve also served eight years on the board of the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, including three years as Board President, supporting programs that serve more than 50,000 families worldwide.
Anali Ross
Campus Director/Teens Lead
I grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, and I teach in both English and Spanish. I studied psychology, then went into teaching, and this fall I start my sixth year in a classroom. I've worked in international schools, charters, public schools, and programs built around social-emotional learning, so I've seen a lot of ways to run a room. Some worked. Some didn't.
My take on kids is pretty simple. They grow when someone actually knows them, gives them work that's a little too hard, and hands them real responsibility. I'm warm, and I'm clear about expectations. Both at once. What I'm after is a kid who can think on their own, say what they mean, work a problem, and own their progress instead of waiting to be told.
The psychology background shows up daily. I try to read what's going on underneath the grade, the mood, the shutdown, the kid who's coasting, and meet them there. Then I push, because most kids can do more than they think.
I'm also a mom of two, so I know what it feels like to hand your kid to someone else for the day. That's why I'm big on straight talk with parents and on school being about real life, not just the next grade.
When I'm not teaching, I'm behind a camera, working on some creative project, or with my family.