Robotics · BioHydro-Sense garden monitor
A solar-powered soil-moisture rig that texts the school garden team when the rooftop beds need water. Cut watering trips by half.
Maya R. & cohort HelixGrade 6
Kids whobuild the futureinstead of memorizing it.
Lumina Academy is a project-based STEM and innovation school where students code, prototype, and ship real work, in small cohorts, guided by working engineers, scientists, and designers. Less worksheet, more workshop.
The fabrication lab, mid-print
Robotics build
See what our students actually built this year.
See the projectsEvery unit is a real project, run on a maker's cycle.
We don't teach to a test. Students move through a four-phase build cycle on every project, the same loop working teams use to ship, so knowledge sticks because they used it to make something real.
Investigate
A driving question, a real constraint, and a deadline. Students research, sketch, and define what they're actually trying to solve before they touch a tool.
Prototype
Code, wire, cut, and 3D-print a first version fast. Failure is data here, every broken prototype is a build-log entry, not a bad grade.
Iterate
Test with real users, measure, and rebuild. Educators coach the next version; peers run design critiques the way a studio does.
Ship & present
Every cohort ends on Demo Day. Students present a working build to families, mentors, and the public, and write up what they learned.
Six labs. One campus built for making.
Students rotate through purpose-built studios, not classrooms with the desks pushed back. Each is stocked with real tools and run by a specialist who actually works in the field.
Robotics & Electronics
Grades 3–9
From first circuits to autonomous bots. Students wire, solder, and program machines that sense and move.
Arduinomicro:bitSolderingSensors
Code & Software
Grades K–9
Block coding to real Python and web apps. Every student ships software a human actually uses.
ScratchPythonWebGit basics
Fabrication Lab
Grades 2–9
A real maker shop: 3D printers, a laser cutter, CNC, and hand tools, supervised, with full safety training.
3D printingLaser cutCADWoodshop
Bio & Earth Lab
Grades 4–9
Microscopes, sensors, and a rooftop garden. Students run experiments and log real environmental data.
MicroscopyField dataHydroponicsProbes
Design & Engineering
Grades 3–9
Where ideas become drawings become things. Sketching, CAD, and structural problem-solving under constraint.
SketchingCADPrototypingCritique
Media & Storytelling
Grades 2–9
Engineers who can't explain their work get ignored. Students film, edit, and present every build.
VideoAudioSlidesDemo days
Real work, shipped by real kids.
A sample from last year's Demo Days. Every project starts with a question a student actually cared about and ends with something that works.
Robotics · BioEngineering · CodeAeris model rocket telemetry
A 3D-printed nose-cone payload logging altitude and acceleration, then graphing the flight in a web app the team coded.
Cohort ApexGrade 8
Bio · MediaTideTalk reef sound map
An interactive map pairing recorded reef audio with species data, built to teach younger students about ocean health.
Leo K. & Priya S.Grade 7
Code · DesignGridGuess math arcade
A browser game that drills multiplication through a pixel-art maze, coded in Scratch, then ported to JavaScript.
Cohort HelixGrade 4
Fabrication · EarthPolyPrint recycled filament
A shredder-and-extruder build that turns the lab's plastic scrap back into usable 3D-printer filament.
Cohort ApexGrade 9
Bio · CodeBioBlocks cell explorer
A 3D model of a plant cell you can walk through in the browser, with organelles students animated and narrated themselves.
Sofia M. & cohort HelixGrade 5
What students walk out knowing how to do.
Project-based doesn't mean unmeasured. We track core academics and the harder-to-fake skills employers and high schools actually look for.
96%
Families who'd recommend Lumina
120+
Student projects shipped a year
9:1
Student-to-educator ratio
40+
Partner mentors from local tech
Skills built into every cohort
Computational thinking
Breaking real problems into solvable steps.
Hands-on engineering
Designing, building, and debugging physical things.
Collaboration
Shipping as a team with real roles and deadlines.
Scientific method
Hypothesis, test, measure, revise, for real.
Clear communication
Presenting and defending your work on Demo Day.
Persistence
Treating failure as data and iterating anyway.
Taught by people who build for a living.
Our educators are working engineers, scientists, and designers who chose to teach, credentialed, background-checked, and trained in project-based pedagogy.
NA
Dr. Naomi Alvarez
Head of School
STEM education
Ed.D · former NASA education lead
MB
Marcus Bell
Lead, Robotics & Electronics
Mechatronics
M.S. Robotics · 9 yrs industry
PR
Priya Raman
Lead, Code & Software
Software engineering
B.S. CS · ex-startup engineer
TO
Theo Okafor
Lead, Fabrication Lab
Industrial design
MFA · certified shop instructor
HS
Dr. Hana Sato
Lead, Bio & Earth Lab
Environmental science
Ph.D · field-research scientist
JL
Jordan Lee
Lead, Design & Media
Product design
B.Des · design-studio veteran
An open, rolling admissions path, no entrance exam.
We admit on a rolling basis and look for curiosity, not a perfect transcript. The best first step is to come see the studios in action and meet the makers.
Fall cohorts fill by spring. We keep studios small on purpose, early inquiries get first placement.
- 1
Email admissions
Tell us your child's grade and what they're curious about. We reply within two school days.
- 2
Visit a studio day
Spend a morning on campus. Watch a cohort build, and let your child try a hands-on station.
- 3
Maker trial day
Prospective students join a real cohort for a day, no test, just a project to dig into.
- 4
Enroll your cohort
We place students in a multi-age studio and send a build-ready supply list. Done.
Transparent tuition, all materials included.
One number, billed in ten monthly installments. Lab consumables, 3D-printer filament, project kits, and Demo Day are all covered, no surprise fees.
Grades K–2
Lower Studio
$1,180
per month · 10 months
- Four-day maker week
- Code, design & fab basics
- All materials & kits
- Two Demo Days a year
Most chosen
Grades 3–6
Maker Studio
$1,420
per month · 10 months
- Full five-day program
- All six studios in rotation
- Robotics & fabrication access
- Mentor-paired capstone
- All materials & Demo Days
Grades 7–9
Innovator Studio
$1,560
per month · 10 months
- Advanced labs & shop access
- Self-directed capstone
- Industry mentor & internship prep
- High-school placement support
Need-based tuition assistance covers up to 40% for qualifying families. Sibling discounts apply. Ask admissions for the aid timeline.
The best way in is an email and a visit.
Questions about fit, grade placement, or a studio day? Email our admissions team directly, a real person reads every message and replies within two school days.
Contact admissionsadmissions@luminaacademy.orgCampus
1400 Innovation RowBuilding C, The Maker HallAustin, TX 78702- We reply within two school days
- No entrance exam, curiosity first
- Visit days run weekly through the year
- Rolling admissions, sibling priority
“My daughter went from 'school is boring' to building a moisture sensor for our garden at home. She finally sees herself as someone who can make things.”
“Demo Day blew me away. Eleven-year-olds presenting working projects, explaining trade-offs, taking questions. That's not a science fair, that's engineering.”
“The educators actually built things in the real world. My son asks his robotics lead questions I can't answer, and gets real ones back.”
Before you reach out.
Still curious? The fastest answer is a direct email, a real admissions person replies within two school days.
Contact admissionsIs Lumina an accredited school or an after-school program?
Lumina is a full-time, accredited independent school for grades K–9. Project-based STEM is the core of the day, not an add-on, and we cover the full academic spectrum through real projects.
Do students still learn reading, writing, and math?
Yes, woven into every project. A rocket build is also physics and math; a garden monitor is also writing and data literacy. We assess core academics continuously, just not with bubble sheets.
My child has never coded or built anything. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Most students start with zero experience. Studios are multi-age and meet each maker where they are, the only prerequisite is curiosity.
How big are the cohorts?
We cap studios at a 9:1 student-to-educator ratio, with most cohorts around twelve students. Small groups are the whole point, every maker gets bench time and coaching.
What does a normal day look like?
Morning project blocks in the studios, a shared lunch and outdoor break, and afternoon build time, critique, or Demo Day prep. Less sitting, more making.
How do I apply?
Email admissions with your child's grade, that's the whole first step. We'll set up a campus visit and a maker trial day. There's no entrance exam.
Demo template, adapt it for your school.