A secular private microschool servicing students from pre-K to eighth grade is set to expand its operations for the 2026-27 school year, relocating from Kyle to San Marcos.
The overview
Godfrey Learning Academy started as a small private school in founder Ashlynn Godfrey’s home. The school size grew from eight to 24 kids, requiring the move to a larger space.
Additionally, the academy recently became accredited and accepts Texas Education Freedom Accounts, or TEFA funding, resulting in the enrollment increase, Godfrey said. Half of the school’s students utilize TEFA funding
“We [provide] individualized, hands-on learning,” Godfrey said. “Our families really like us because we have a community-type feel.”
While students engage in a variety of activities, such as baking and outdoor time, Godfrey Learning Academy tracks student growth data and reports development to parents three times a year, Godfrey said.
“A lot of them have seen huge leaps and bounds in their child's growth, and they don't think they would have gotten that anywhere else,” Godfrey said.
Meet the owner
Godfrey previously worked as a fifth-grade teacher in the public school system. After identifying multiple students who were struggling with reading skills, she asked her former principal to allow her to go back to the basics.
“The principal said, ‘Okay, for like two weeks, and then we have to focus on the STAAR test,’” Godfrey said. “I taught them at their level, what they had missed for the past three years of school, and that was the first time they were excited to be in the room with me and actually focused on their lessons and understanding concepts.”
Godfrey was then required to continue preparing students for the STAAR test, a necessity that disheartened her and led to her decision to leave the public school system and start her own school, she said.
The details
The school is almost full for the 2026-27 school year, Godfrey said. There are three available spots in the kindergarten-through-second-grade classroom.
Godfrey Learning Academy is owned and operated by certified teachers. The academy is one of the few secular private schools in the area, holding cultural heritage months for students.
