Forget the facts, the formulas, and the figures for a moment. One of the most valuable things a child develops in school is knowing how to ask a meaningful question.
At Innovations Academy (IA), a tuition-free K-8 public school in San Diego, that philosophy is central to how we teach and learn. We call it inquiry-based learning, and we’ve been building it into our classrooms since we opened our doors in 2008.
What Is Inquiry-Based Learning?
Inquiry-based learning starts with curiosity — the natural drive to explore and discover that children possess. Instead of handing students a textbook and asking them to memorize content, we create real-world problems to explore, questions worth wrestling with, and the freedom to discover answers through doing.
Unlike traditional project-based learning, which is focused on a specific outcome, inquiry-based learning follows the questions wherever they lead. It’s multi-disciplinary, cross-curricular, and deeply personal. There isn’t always one right answer and we like it that way!
What It Looks Like at Innovations Academy
At IA, inquiry takes many forms: hands-on projects, Socratic seminars, science experiments, community expert visits, and field studies that bring learning off campus and into the real world. Here are just a few real examples of inquiry in action at IA:
- Serving as the crew aboard the Star of India, San Diego’s historic tall ship, as part of a history and seamanship study
- Re-enacting the Boston Tea Party to explore historical perspectives firsthand
- Designing a WWII-era food truck using only rationed ingredients — then cooking and serving dishes to guests at Exhibition Night
- Creating and submitting original podcasts to the New York Times Podcast Contest, from concept through production
- Spending a night in the desert studying astronomy as part of the 8th grade science curriculum
- Building engineering solutions through STEM challenges and robotics
- Producing public service announcements and other media projects to demonstrate learning across content areas
- A student studying history might find themselves writing a documentary. A math concept might come alive through an engineering challenge. The thinking is deep, and the work is meaningful.
Why It Works
When students are active participants in their own learning — asking questions, testing ideas, and constructing understanding — they develop critical thinking skills that resonate. Our 8th graders graduate with an average 3.5 GPA and thrive in a wide variety of San Diego high schools, not because they were drilled for tests, but because they learned how to think.
That’s the Innovations Academy difference. Come see it for yourself — schedule a tour at innovationsacademy.org or call 858-271-1414. We’re enrolling now for 2026-27.
About Innovations Academy:
Innovations Academy is a tuition-free public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in San Diego, California. Our small school values a hands-on, inquiry-based education with high academic standards using self-expression, compassionate connection, and purposeful learning. Our new modern campus is intentionally designed with curiosity and exploration in mind. Join our innovative school today! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Find us at innovationsacademy.org.