Excel Education Systems Announces Learn Star Academy, a New Online (AI Powered) High School Built Exclusively for Adult Learners

AI-powered, competency-friendly education combines flexible online learning with meaningful human support to help adults complete high school and move forward in their careers and lives

MINNETONKA, Minnesota — August 28, 2026 — Excel Education Systems, Inc. (EES), a nationally recognized provider of accredited online education, is proud to announce the addition of a fifth school to its growing school system: Learn Star Academy, a purpose-built online high school created exclusively for adult learners.

Learn Star Academy is designed for adults aged 18 and older who have not yet earned a high school diploma and are ready to finish what they started. The school will provide a flexible, accessible, affordable, and high-quality pathway to graduation through a 100% online learning experience that recognizes the realities of adult life. Students will be able to complete coursework around their jobs, families, caregiving responsibilities, and other commitments without putting their lives on hold.

The planned launch date for Learn Star Academy is January 1, 2027, following final accreditation approval. The school recently completed its initial accreditation visit with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS). The visiting accreditation team is recommending Learn Star Academy for accreditation, with the recommendation expected to be considered by the MSA-CESS commission in November 2026. Accreditation will become official only after the commission reviews and approves the recommendation.

The successful visit represents an important milestone for Learn Star Academy and Excel Education Systems. During the review, the EES team demonstrated the school’s academic program, policies, student-support model, technology, leadership, and commitment to continuous improvement. The accreditation team recognized the organization’s strong people-first culture, dedication to its mission, and thoughtful use of technology and artificial intelligence to improve the student experience.

“Learn Star Academy represents the next chapter in our mission to expand access to high-quality education,” said Rod Clarkson, founder, president, and CEO of Excel Education Systems. “Millions of adults have the talent, determination, and ability to succeed, but life circumstances prevented them from completing high school. Learn Star Academy was built to give those adults a respected, flexible, and supportive path forward. We want every student to know that it is not too late to finish, grow, and create new possibilities for the future.”

A School Designed Around the Realities of Adult Life

Adult learners are not simply older versions of traditional high school students. They bring different experiences, responsibilities, motivations, and goals to the classroom. Many are working full-time, raising children, caring for family members, managing households, or rebuilding their lives after difficult circumstances. Some left school recently, while others have carried the goal of earning a diploma for years or even decades.

Learn Star Academy was created around those realities.

Instead of requiring students to report to a classroom at a fixed time each day, the school will make coursework available online around the clock. Students can log in when their schedules allow, make consistent progress, and complete courses at a pace that reflects their available time, prior learning, and individual needs. There are no traditional semester start dates, long application cycles, or unnecessary waiting periods. Through rolling open enrollment, eligible adult learners can begin when they are ready.

The school’s mission is clear: to empower adult learners to complete their high school education through flexible, accessible, and high-quality AI-powered learning pathways designed to fit the realities of work, family, and life.

Its broader vision is equally ambitious. Learn Star Academy seeks to help create a world in which every adult has an opportunity to complete high school and unlock greater academic, career, and personal potential, regardless of past circumstances. The goal is not merely to award diplomas. It is to help adults build confidence, strengthen foundational skills, prepare for what comes next, and become part of a community centered on progress.

“For many adults, returning to school requires courage,” Clarkson said. “They may be carrying years of disappointment or doubt. Our responsibility is to meet them with respect, encouragement, clear expectations, and an educational model that gives them a genuine opportunity to succeed.”

Powered by AI. Nurtured by Humans.

Learn Star Academy is built on a simple but important principle: technology can make education more responsive and accessible, but people remain essential to student success.

The school’s model is summarized by the phrase, “Powered by AI. Nurtured by humans.” Artificial intelligence will help students receive timely explanations, guided practice, personalized assistance, and academic support. Human educators and staff will continue to provide judgment, encouragement, accountability, intervention, and care.

Students will complete their coursework through Learn Stage, the proprietary learning management and student information system developed by Excel Education Systems. Learn Stage brings enrollment, learning, grades, progress tracking, academic records, reporting, communication, and graduation management together within one integrated environment. Its lesson-by-lesson structure is designed to make online learning clear and manageable, even for adults who have been away from school for many years.

Learn Stage includes digital textbooks, video instruction, interactive learning activities, assessments, grade reporting, and tools that allow students to monitor their progress toward completion. The platform is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, allowing students to study at the times that work best for them.

Within their courses, students will also have access to BRYTE, an AI-powered academic tutor designed to provide immediate, on-demand learning support. BRYTE can help explain challenging concepts, guide students through problems, reinforce important ideas, support preparation for assessments, and encourage independent learning. Rather than waiting until the next business day for help with every routine question, students can seek assistance when they are actively learning.

BRYTE is intended to support learning, not replace educators. Academic coaches, success coaches, school leaders, and support professionals remain accountable for the quality of the educational experience. When a student needs human guidance, encouragement, feedback, or intervention, the school’s team will be there.

This combination allows Learn Star Academy to offer the responsiveness of advanced technology while preserving the relationships that help adult learners remain focused and move forward.

A Competency-Friendly Path to an Adult High School Diploma

Learn Star Academy will offer a focused 21.5-credit adult high school diploma pathway. The program is designed to recognize previous academic achievement while maintaining meaningful graduation standards.

Eligible students may transfer qualifying credits earned at recognized schools, potentially reducing the number of courses they need to complete. Under the school’s planned requirements, students may transfer up to 75% of the credits required for graduation. Every graduate must also complete a minimum number of credits directly through Learn Star Academy to protect the integrity of the diploma and demonstrate successful participation in the school’s academic program.

The model is competency-friendly and mastery-focused. Students move through structured courses by completing lessons, assignments, authentic assessments, projects, and final examinations. Progress is based on demonstrating learning and completing academic requirements, rather than merely accumulating classroom seat time.

Students with substantial transfer credit who can devote consistent time to their studies may be able to graduate in a matter of months. Students who need to complete more coursework or balance school with significant responsibilities may take longer. The school’s published completion estimates range from approximately three to 18 months, depending on accepted transfer credits, individual pace, academic progress, and personal circumstances.

Learn Star Academy will not promise instant graduation or award credit without demonstrated learning. The school’s objective is to remove unnecessary barriers while maintaining credible academic expectations. Flexibility will be paired with accountability, and personalization will be grounded in clear standards.

Human Support at Every Stage of the Journey

Although Learn Star Academy will operate fully online, students will not be expected to navigate the experience alone.

Every student will have access to success coaching. Success coaches will serve as primary points of contact, helping students set goals, understand their graduation plans, stay engaged, address obstacles, and recognize milestones. For adults returning to education after a long absence, that consistent relationship can make the difference between feeling isolated and feeling connected to a school community.

Students will also have access to academic coaches with teaching credentials, advanced degrees, and subject-area expertise. Academic coaches will provide course-specific assistance, clarify academic material, respond to questions, offer feedback, and help students prepare for assessments.

The support system is intentionally designed to combine independence with connection. Adult students deserve control over when and where they study, but they should also know where to turn when they encounter a challenge. The school’s integrated help desk, coaching team, academic staff, and AI-powered support tools create multiple ways for students to ask questions and stay on track.

Learn Star Academy’s people-first philosophy extends beyond direct academic support. It is reflected in the school’s commitment to inclusion, integrity, transparency, student privacy, continuous improvement, and respectful treatment of every learner. Adults arrive with different educational histories, identities, goals, and levels of confidence. The school is being built to honor those differences while maintaining high expectations for participation and academic integrity.

Education Connected to Careers and the Future

For many adult learners, earning a diploma is the first step toward a larger goal. Some graduates may pursue college or technical education. Others may seek a promotion, qualify for a new job, enter workforce training, prepare for military service, or demonstrate to their families that long-delayed goals can still be achieved.

Learn Star Academy’s curriculum is designed to support both high school completion and future readiness. In addition to core academic subjects, the broader Excel Education Systems curriculum includes career-focused learning opportunities in technology, artificial intelligence, computer science, digital arts, engineering, construction, agriculture, health science, emergency medical response, accounting, business, marketing, hospitality, tourism, and related fields.

These courses introduce students to industries and career pathways that may help them make more informed decisions after graduation. They also reinforce an important message: a high school diploma is not the end of learning. It can be the foundation for continued education, workforce development, professional advancement, and lifelong growth.

Learn Star Academy will encourage students to think beyond the next assignment and consider the future they are working to build. By connecting academic progress with personal purpose, the school aims to make learning more relevant and motivating for adults.

The Fifth School in a Proven Education System

Learn Star Academy becomes the fifth school within Excel Education Systems, an education organization headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 2005, EES has spent more than two decades developing and operating online schools, digital curriculum, student-support systems, and education technology.

Adding Learn Star Academy represents both growth and strategic focus. Excel Education Systems has served adult learners through its schools for years. Creating a separate adult-focused institution allows the organization to build a school identity, communication model, curriculum experience, and support structure specifically for adults while preserving strong learning communities for traditional middle and high school students across the system.

Learn Star Academy will benefit from EES's established academic and operational foundation. The system combines accredited schools, proprietary curriculum, the Learn Stage learning and student information platform, centralized student services, academic support, admissions, records, compliance, and experienced leadership. This vertically integrated structure gives EES direct oversight of the major components that shape quality and the student experience.

The school will also benefit from EES’s commitment to data security. Excel Education Systems maintains SOC 2 Type II compliance, reflecting independently evaluated controls related to the security and confidentiality of information. Student records are maintained within secure systems and used to support learning and school operations.

“We did not build Learn Star Academy from an untested idea,” Clarkson said. “We built it on more than 20 years of experience serving online learners, developing curriculum, supporting students, operating accredited schools, and investing in education technology. Learn Star is new, but the foundation beneath it is proven.”

A Thoughtful Transition Focused on Student Continuity

Excel Education Systems expects to transition most of its adult high school programming to Learn Star Academy gradually over approximately 24 months. The process will be deliberate rather than abrupt, with student continuity, choice, regulatory requirements, and educational quality guiding each phase.

The first phase will focus on launch readiness, including accreditation, policies, staffing, technology, curriculum, and communication. The next phase will focus on growing the Learn Star Academy community and expanding adult-specific services. As the school develops, EES will evaluate the transition based on student needs and quality outcomes.

One principle will remain central throughout the process: no student should lose momentum, support, or a clear pathway to completion because of the transition.

The phased approach reflects the organization’s belief that sustainable growth requires preparation, careful implementation, and ongoing review. Learn Star Academy is intended to become the dedicated home for adult high school learners within EES, but the transition will be managed with the same people-first mindset that shaped the school itself.

Accreditation Progress and Planned January 2027 Launch

Learn Star Academy’s successful initial MSA-CESS accreditation visit moves the school closer to its planned launch. The review provided the school with an opportunity to demonstrate how its mission, instructional model, leadership, student services, policies, technology, and continuous-improvement systems work together.

The recommendation for accreditation is a significant achievement, but the process is not yet final. The MSA-CESS commission is expected to consider the visiting team’s recommendation in November 2026. If the commission grants accreditation, Learn Star Academy plans to begin enrolling students on January 1, 2027.

Until final action is taken, Learn Star Academy will continue preparing its systems, staff, curriculum, and student experience for launch. Prospective students and partners are encouraged to follow updates at www.learnstar.com.

Helping Adults Finish What They Started

The creation of Learn Star Academy reflects a belief that past circumstances should not determine a person’s future.

Adults leave high school for many reasons. Some need to work. Some become parents or caregivers. Some experience illness, housing instability, family disruption, or financial hardship. Others struggle in a traditional school environment that was not designed for their needs. Whatever the reason, leaving school does not erase a person’s potential or end the possibility of graduation.

Learn Star Academy will offer those adults a new starting point.

The school’s approach combines the freedom of self-paced online learning, the rigor of an established academic program, the responsiveness of AI-powered support, and the encouragement of people who believe in the learner’s ability to succeed. Students will be expected to work, participate, and demonstrate mastery. In return, they will receive a program built to respect their time, recognize their experience, and help them keep moving forward.

“Earning a high school diploma can change how people see themselves and what they believe is possible,” Clarkson said. “It can open doors to college, career training, employment, advancement, and personal pride. Most importantly, it allows adults to complete a promise they made to themselves. Learn Star Academy exists to help them fulfill that promise.”

About Learn Star Academy

Learn Star Academy is a 100% online high school designed exclusively for adult learners age 18 and older. A component school of Excel Education Systems, Inc., Learn Star Academy will offer a flexible, competency-friendly adult high school diploma pathway powered by Learn Stage technology, BRYTE AI tutoring, academic coaching, and personalized student support. The school is preparing for a planned January 1, 2027 launch, subject to final accreditation approval. Learn more at www.learnstar.com.

About Excel Education Systems

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Excel Education Systems, Inc. operates a growing system of online schools, curriculum programs, and education technology platforms serving learners in the United States and around the world. EES combines proprietary digital curriculum, the Learn Stage LMS/SIS, student services, academic support, records, compliance, and innovative AI-enabled learning tools within one integrated education system.