New integrated platform puts students, teachers, and families at the center of a smarter, more responsive model, starting with literacy.
ODESSA, TX — Nerd Academy, the Permian Basin’s boldest new private school startup, is stepping into the 2025–2026 school year with a game-changing announcement: a fully integrated instructional system designed to do what the Texas public school system hasn’t: catch struggling students early, teach to mastery, and make sure kids actually know how to read, write, and think critically before it’s too late.
“This isn’t just tech,” says co-founder Abel Nunez. “It’s a teaching engine plugged directly into our model and it’s already changing how we assess, place, and grow every child who walks through our doors.”
In a state where literacy rates continue to lag and standardized testing often reveals more about broken systems than student potential, Nerd Academy is doing something radical: building a smarter structure from the ground up.
The System: Built for Mastery, Not Just Measurement
Most schools rely on fragmented tools: one program for assessment, another for practice, and little to no support in between. Nerd Academy’s new framework changes that.
This system connects the dots between diagnostics, personalized instruction, and progress monitoring, allowing teachers to:
- Assess current skill levels in reading, writing, and math
- Identify gaps early – sometimes before a student even notices
- Deliver targeted instruction with interactive, real-time tools
- Track growth against national norms – not just arbitrary benchmarks
But what sets this apart isn’t just the integration. It’s the intention. Every feature of the system is designed to build strong readers, writers, and math thinkers from day one.
“Texas focuses on pushing teacher certification programs while ignoring whether the system they work in actually works,” Nunez says. “Our model flips that. We’re building a system that empowers teachers and certifies them internally in tools that actually move the needle.”
Literacy Isn’t a Buzzword — It’s the Battle Line
At Nerd Academy, foundational mastery isn’t a phase, it’s the mission. Reading, writing, and math are treated as non-negotiables. Every child is assessed regularly, placed strategically, and taught with precision, long before traditional systems would even notice there’s a gap.
“If a child can’t read by third grade, the rest of the system doesn’t matter,” says co-founder Raquel Nunez. “That’s why our focus is early, ongoing, and rooted in real data, not just teacher intuition or end-of-year test scores.”
In the Permian Basin, that means giving kids more than feel-good lessons. It means giving them literacy tools for life: how to understand contracts, decode safety manuals, write emails, solve problems, and communicate clearly, whether they stay in West Texas or take on the world.
Certified in Strategy — Not Just Paper
Instead of relying on outside certifications that often fail to connect with classroom realities, Nerd Academy has created its own internal teacher certification program tied directly to the new system.
Teachers are trained to:
- Interpret data with confidence
- Identify student needs at a glance
- Use adaptive tools to target instruction, not just assign busywork
- Respond with purpose and with a plan
“We’re not handing our team software and hoping they figure it out,” Nunez says. “We’re building a culture of professional mastery where teachers are trained, empowered, and certified within a system designed to win.”
Certified by Who?
Critics sometimes challenge the school by asking, “Are your teachers certified?” But Nerd Academy’s founders believe that’s the wrong question.
“Certified by who?” Abel Nunez asks. “The same public education system that’s been failing our kids? Or the alternative programs that push people through without truly preparing them to teach?”
Nerd Academy was created in response to that failure, not to discredit teachers, but to build a better model around them. As the founders often point out, many public school teachers are talented and passionate. But the system hasn’t just failed students – it’s failed those teachers too.
What Nerd Academy offers is fundamentally different. And the certification programs tied to the old system were never designed for this one.
“If you’re an employer,” Nunez says, “would you rather hire someone with a degree who’s never used your tools, or someone you’ve trained in-house who already knows how your system works?”
That’s the mindset Nerd Academy brings to its internal teacher training. Educators are certified within a custom framework that matches the school’s tools, data systems, and curriculum. It’s not about legacy credentials. It’s about real results- for students, teachers, and the school’s future leaders.
Powering a Curriculum That’s Actually Worth Teaching
This instructional engine doesn’t just boost literacy. It amplifies everything Nerd Academy already does differently:
- AI Literacy (starting in 3rd grade)
- PetroSTEAM (a local-first blend of science, energy, and engineering)
- Coding & Computer Logic
- Quantum Café (science-based critical thinking discussions)
These forward-facing subjects are delivered with the same intensity and support as literacy and math, ensuring that no child has to choose between creativity and comprehension.
This Isn’t a Trend. It’s a Takeover.
Nerd Academy may still be small, with 22 students enrolled and a goal of 30–45, but its ambitions are anything but boutique. Every system, strategy, and structure is built to scale. To challenge the status quo. To offer West Texas families a real alternative.
And to prove that real change starts at the roots, not at the top.
The school remains aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), but treats the state standards as a floor, not a ceiling. Homework is non-existent. Discipline is rooted in relationship. And the classrooms are filled with kids who were once unchallenged, labeled, overlooked, or written off are now learning at grade level or above.
Final Word
For families who’ve been waiting for more than just another school… this is it.
Nerd Academy isn’t here to play nice with a broken system. It’s here to replace it- one reader, one teacher, and one classroom at a time.
“If you’re still asking, ‘Are your teachers certified?’ you’re asking the wrong question,” Abel Nunez says, “The question is: Are your kids being taught in a system that works?”