ORANGE COUNTY'S ONLY K–12 SCHOOL BUILT ENTIRELY AROUND LEADERSHIP, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND REAL-WORLD COMMUNICATION OPENS ENROLLMENT**
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ORANGE COUNTY'S ONLY K–12 SCHOOL BUILT ENTIRELY AROUND LEADERSHIP, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND REAL-WORLD COMMUNICATION OPENS ENROLLMENT
Wonderstorm Academy in Laguna Hills Launches Full Kindergarten-Through-12th-Grade Enrollment on the Apogee Strong Network. The Only School in Southern California Sustaining This Framework From Age 4 Through Graduation
LAGUNA HILLS, Calif.. Wonderstorm Academy, a private K–12 micro-school at 25332 McIntyre St in Laguna Hills, is now open for enrollment for the 2025–2026 academic year, offering Orange County families the only full kindergarten-through-12th-grade school in the region built entirely around three sustained core lenses: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Powerful Communication. The school serves children ages 4–18 under one roof, on one campus, within one coherent educational philosophy. And does so as an aligned member of the Apogee Strong network, a nationally validated learner-driven education system.
For the tens of thousands of Orange County families who have watched their children disengage from traditional schooling, the enrollment opening is not a routine announcement. It is the arrival of a structured, full-time alternative that does not exist anywhere else in the county at this scale or depth.
Why This Matters Now
The timing is not incidental. National school choice momentum. Driven by Education Savings Account expansion, microschool legislation in California, and a measurable post-pandemic collapse in family confidence in traditional public schooling. Has created the largest opening in a generation for alternatives to conventional K–12 education. At the same time, parents across South Orange County are actively searching for schools that teach children how to think, build, and lead in a world shaped by artificial intelligence and rapid change. Not schools that optimize for standardized test performance.
Wonderstorm Academy was built for exactly this moment.
Where competitors in the Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo corridor compete for families on the basis of one-to-one instruction ratios, college-prep academic rigor, or faith integration, Wonderstorm occupies a lane none of them hold: a full K–12 continuum in which Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Powerful Communication are not electives, enrichment programs, or after-school additions. They are the architecture of every academic year, from kindergarten through graduation.
That distinction matters because it is rare. Most schools that incorporate entrepreneurship or project-based learning do so episodically. A unit here, a club there, a pitch competition in 10th grade. Wonderstorm begins this development at age 4 and sustains it without interruption through 12th grade, allowing character, confidence, and real-world competency to compound across a child's entire formative journey rather than being introduced as a late-stage supplement to a traditional academic track.
What the Model Looks Like in Practice
The Wonderstorm model replaces passive instruction with a hands-on, project-based, movement-rich campus experience. Life Skills Labs and real-world apprenticeships are integrated directly into the academic program. Not offered as optional add-ons for motivated students. Students learn by doing: designing, building, pitching, leading, failing, iterating, and presenting to real audiences that include working professionals and business owners.
The school's alignment with the Apogee Strong network means this is not a homegrown experiment built on a single founder's philosophy. It is a proven, nationally validated framework with documented outcomes across multiple campuses. Brought to Orange County through Wonderstorm's Laguna Hills campus and adapted for the specific community it serves.
The result, as families who have made the transition describe it, is a child who does not just perform academically but who understands why learning matters, how to apply what they know, and who they are becoming in the process.
Executive Quote
"Most schools spend 15,000 hours teaching children to follow instructions and pass tests," said Holly Yarbrough, School Director and Co-Founder of Wonderstorm Academy. "We spend those same hours teaching them to lead, build, communicate, and solve real problems. At Wonderstorm Academy, we don't prepare children for the world as it was. We prepare them for the world as it is, and as they will shape it. Every project, every apprenticeship, every conversation on our campus is designed to develop the whole child: academically rigorous, entrepreneurially minded, and genuinely confident in who they are. This is not an experiment. It is a proven, nationally validated model. And it is the education our children in Orange County deserve."
Parent Perspective
The following quote is provided verbatim from a Wonderstorm Academy family:
"My daughter spent three years in a top-rated public school and came home defeated every single day. Within her first semester at Wonderstorm, she was leading her own project, pitching ideas to real business owners, and telling me she actually loves learning. I didn't think a school like this existed in Orange County. One that treats kids like capable human beings instead of test scores. We're never going back."
Enrollment and Next Steps
Wonderstorm Academy is currently accepting applications for the 2025–2026 school year across all grade levels, kindergarten through 12th grade, for children ages 4–18. The school serves intentional, values-driven families in Orange County who are ready to leave the traditional schooling model behind and invest in a full-time, structured alternative built for the 21st century.
Families interested in learning whether Wonderstorm is the right fit are encouraged to book a discovery call or schedule a campus tour at 25332 McIntyre St, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.
Book a Call to See If Wonderstorm Is Right for Your Family at wonderstormacademy.com.
MEDIA MANIFEST
The following assets are recommended for direct pitching. No paid wire distribution. No embedded links in body copy.
Asset 1. Hero Image (Primary) Recommended content: Students engaged in a project-based activity on the Wonderstorm campus. Ideally a small group collaborating on a visible build, pitch, or presentation. Should communicate energy, engagement, and age diversity. Horizontal format, print and digital resolution. Caption should include school name, address, and photo credit.
Asset 2. Campus Exterior Photo Recommended content: Clean exterior shot of 25332 McIntyre St, Laguna Hills, with school signage visible. Establishes physical legitimacy and community rootedness for media outlets covering the South OC education beat.
Asset 3. Spokesperson Headshot Recommended content: Professional photo of Holly Yarbrough, School Director and Co-Founder, on campus or in a classroom setting. Horizontal and vertical crop available. For use in feature placements and education desk pitches.
Asset 4. Fact Sheet (One-Page PDF) Recommended content: Key school facts. Founding, grade range, campus address, Apogee Strong network affiliation, three core lenses (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Powerful Communication), enrollment open dates, and media contact. Suitable for attachment to pitch emails to education reporters, parenting publications, and South OC community news outlets.
Asset 5. Pitch Target List (Internal Use) Recommended outlets for direct pitching: Orange County Register education desk, Los Angeles Times SoCal education coverage, Voice of OC, Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo community publications, OC parenting blogs and newsletters, local TV morning segments (KABC, KNBC, KCAL) covering back-to-school or school choice angles.
About Wonderstorm Academy
Wonderstorm Academy is a private K–12 micro-school located at 25332 McIntyre St, Laguna Hills, CA 92653, serving children ages 4–18 across a full kindergarten-through-12th-grade continuum. As the only school in Orange County offering a sustained, core curriculum built around Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Powerful Communication from kindergarten through graduation, Wonderstorm Academy replaces passive, traditional schooling with a hands-on, project-based, learner-driven model aligned with the nationally validated Apogee Strong network. The school's dynamic, movement-rich campus integrates Life Skills Labs and real-world apprenticeships directly into the academic experience, equipping students to graduate as confident, self-directed leaders ready for college, career, and life. Wonderstorm Academy serves intentional, values-driven families in Orange County who are ready to reclaim their children's education and invest in a proven alternative built for the 21st century. To learn more or schedule a campus tour, visit wonderstormacademy.com or call to book a discovery call.
MEDIA CONTACT
Wonderstorm Academy Admissions and Media Inquiries 25332 McIntyre St Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Phone: Available via campus contact Email: Available via website inquiry form Website: wonderstormacademy.com Social: @wonderstormacademy on Facebook and Instagram
David Yarbrough
Co-Founder
Dave Yarbrough is the founder of Wonderstorm Academy, a devoted husband and father of six, and a lifelong student of human potential. For more than 25 years, he has explored how education can help children flourish intellectually, socially, and personally. His vision is to create a new model of learning that expands what is possible for children and for education as a whole. Dave holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from UC Santa Barbara.
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