Jessica Jacobs has never been a fan of school. Growing up in Marin County, she challenged teachers; as an educator, she clashed with administrators. Frustrated by the rigidity and irrelevance of mainstream education, she founded DITCH School in 2010.
DITCH, short for Dare to Innovate and Transcend Cultural Hegemony, encourages teens to carve their own paths instead of conforming to a standardized curriculum. Its student body is diverse, including advanced learners, students who struggle in traditional settings, aspiring NCAA athletes, world travelers, actors, and entrepreneurs. Some face mental health challenges or are in recovery from addiction, but all share a common goal: learning on their own terms.
EDUCATION WITHOUT WALLS
DITCH has no fixed campus. Meeting spaces in Topanga Canyon range from a backyard yurt to Corazón Culture & Arts Resource Center, where the space is lit with the energy of engaged adolescents. Some work independently on their devices, others collaborate in small groups, one lounges in a large bean bag chair. Others enjoy the outdoor courtyard and its proximity to shops, galleries, and the market.
At the time of this interview, Jacobs was in Careyes, Mexico, where a dozen Ditchers were immersed in Spanish.
“We’re not a school, or even a business,” Jacobs explains. “We’re an ad hoc-racy—a body that operates on an as-needed basis.”
Another hub operates in Humboldt County, with potential expansion into Marin, San Diego, and possibly a new location in Calabasas.
A core practice of DITCH is daily controversial conversations, where students (and often parents) learn to disagree respectfully. One simple yet powerful exercise? Drawing a six on the ground. “From my perspective, it’s a six. From yours, it’s a nine,” Jacobs says. “We can argue or we can learn to see another point of view.”
DITCH is rooted in two philosophies: an Indigenous worldview and radical unschooling. Jacobs’ father, Dr. Don Trent Jacobs—also known as Four Arrows—is an educator who has written extensively about Indigenous wisdom and cultural harmony. His influence shaped Jacobs’ belief that education should foster autonomy and critical thinking, rather than enforce colonial-era structures.
In their co-authored book, Teaching Virtues, they advocate for integrating moral principles from world cultures into K-12 curricula. “Relationships, not lectures, are what teach virtues, like honesty, humility and fortitude,” Jacobs says.
Unschooling, a movement within homeschooling, rejects rigid curricula, standardized tests, and institutionalization in favor of self-directed learning. Unschooling puts students in the driver’s seat, with parents and mentors acting as copilots rather than enforcers. Likewise, Jacobs sees education as something that’s pursued, not imposed. “Some skills are acquired for survival—like how to do your taxes. Others stem from pure passion, like playing the guitar.”
HACKING THE SYSTEM
DITCH School isn’t just about free-spirited exploration. Nor is it about rejecting traditional education—it’s about hacking it. Jacobs has mastered the rulebook, finding shortcuts and loopholes to offer students the best of both the traditional academic and the unschooling worlds, helping students legitimately earn that college degree while learning naturally.
For example, students enroll in community college while still in middle school, using those credits to add credibility to a non-traditional transcript. Many then take advantage of cross enrollment programs, completing one class per term at a University of California campus. This strategy allows students to transfer to a university as juniors—sometimes as young as 14.
Jacobs’ own son, actor Sage Ryan, attended 22 schools in 14 years before being admitted to UC Berkeley at just 14. “What they learn isn’t just academics—it’s how to find a workaround after coming up against ‘No’,” Jacobs says.“Young people face so much discrimination.”
Other Ditchers have earned college degrees before turning 18. Isaiah Dell, 15, was recently accepted to Cal State San Diego, while waiting on UC admission results. Angela Avraham, 15, just graduated UCLA with a degree in Anthropology. Her next stop? El Camino High School—just to check it out. Topanga student Asha Perry-Datt, 19, graduated UC Santa Cruz before her peers graduated high school and just earned a full ride to law school.
Jacobs has crafted a formula that marries two seemingly opposing ideas:
Unschooling + Early College = Time to Be You.
LEARNING WITH REAL-WORLD IMPACT
Freed from the constraints of regular classroom attendance, Jacobs’ students pursue ambitious, individualized purpose projects—some with real-world impact. One standout example is Youth for Innocence, a national nonprofit that helps overturn wrongful convictions. High School and college students work with legal professionals to summarize transcripts, compile supplementary documents, and identify new pathways to prove innocence.
The initiative has already changed lives. Last year, Jacobs played a key role in the successful appeal of Jofama Coleman, who was exonerated after spending 20 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit.
Beyond legal advocacy, DITCH students are making waves in various fields. Some are publishing books and peer-reviewed articles, organizing youth backpacking trips, planning marathons, opening coffee shops and even running a retail clothing store in downtown LA. These passion-driven projects not only build real-world skills but also help Ditchers shine amid the college applicant pool.
A MESSAGE FOR STUDENTS
For students whose lives have been disrupted by fire, road closure, or personal challenges or opportunities, Jacobs offers a reminder: “You do not have to go to mainstream school.” There are alternative paths to success—ones that honor curiosity, independence, and resilience.
To learn more about Ditch School go to ditchschool.org
Teens interested in volunteering for Youth for Innocence can learn more at YouthForInnocence.org.
What a brilliant concept!