About Global Online Academy

Columbus Academy is a member school of Global Online Academy (GOA), a not-for-profit consortium of 85+ independent schools from around the world. Started by a group of independent schools looking to bring the benefits of online learning to their teachers and students, GOA prepares students for a global future by providing new, modern ways for students to learn and teachers to teach. 

The mission of Global Online Academy is to reimagine learning to empower students and educators to thrive in a globally networked society; to deepen learning through courses that equip students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be successful in high school, college, career, and life. GOA teachers think differently about how they design student learning experiences and learn from working with educational leaders to ensure they have the strategies and tools to lead innovation and change. 

Our Global Online Academy Members

Global Online Academy Member Schools

Columbus Academy is proud to be one of more than 120 high-performing independent schools in the GOA consortium, which currently spans five continents, more than 25 countries, and more than 30 states. Some other partner schools include Germantown Friends in Philadelphia, Lakeside in Seattle, Punahou in Honolulu, The Dalton School in New York, Sidwell Friends in Washington D.C. and international schools in China, Japan, India and Jordan. All GOA courses are taught by experienced faculty who are currently teaching at GOA member schools that are well known for the strengths of their curricula and the excellence of their teaching. 

Global Online Academy Courses & Teachers

Students take GOA courses for credit at Columbus Academy. GOA course workload and course intensity is equivalent to courses taken on our campus. Unlike many online courses, students are not passive receptors of pre-recorded lectures from their teachers. Instead, students collaborate on challenging and engaging projects with students from around the world. They are also expected to manage their workload and time effectively to support the asynchronous nature of the courses. GOA classes are teacher-paced, meaning students are assigned work throughout the week rather than given assignments to complete over a large block of time. GOA maintains excellence through rigorous teacher training, building on the best practices and values of leading independent schools - and by ensuring classrooms stay at a small size (limited to 20 students) that fosters strong teacher-student relationships and student-to-student collaboration and interaction in real time.

With Global Online Academy, teachers and students can share their voice on a global stage, improving learning and enabling the pursuit of individual passions.

2023-24 Courses Offered

GOA Course Descriptions

For more information, check out the FAQs page for Global Online Academy.

Meet Our GOA Advisors