One Stone: Parent Guide to a Student-Governed Competency-Based Lab School

One Stone is an independent, nonprofit high school in Boise, Idaho, serving grades 9 through 12. The school opened in 2016 as the lab school of a student-driven nonprofit organization established in 2008, occupying a single campus at 1151 W. Miller St. in downtown Boise ¹². Its most distinctive structural feature is its governance: by bylaw, at least two-thirds of the board of directors must be high school students, and all officer positions are held by students ¹³⁵.

The school uses a competency-based model in place of traditional letter grades, organizes learning around design thinking and real-world projects, and refers to its adult staff as "coaches" rather than teachers ¹⁵. Students participate in student-run enterprises, including a creative services agency called Two Birds that serves paying clients, and pursue individualized learning pathways documented through a proprietary Growth Transcript ¹⁷. Since 2023, One Stone has charged tuition on a sliding scale tied to family income, having operated tuition-free for its first six years ³⁸.

Snapshot facts

Field	Detail
Official name	One Stone 1
Operating status	Active, single campus 1
Founded	Nonprofit established 2008; high school opened 2016 23
Founders	Teresa Poppen and Joel Poppen 2
Current leadership	Celeste Bolin (Ph.D.), Executive Director; Mackenzie King, Board Chair 18
Primary location	1151 W. Miller St., Boise, ID 83702 8
Grades served	9 through 12 1
Status	Independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit private school 12
Tuition model	Flexible need-based (Family Individualized Tuition); $6,500 to $17,640 per year 8
Admissions	Rolling application; alignment-based, not lottery 18
Educational model	Student-driven, competency-based, design thinking 19
Accreditation	Candidate status, Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) 1
Evidence confidence	Primarily school-reported 37

What it is

One Stone is a private, independent nonprofit high school. It is not a charter school and does not receive public funding ¹. The organization behind it, also called One Stone, was founded in 2008 by Teresa Poppen and Joel Poppen as an after-school program called Project Good, where students worked on real community challenges using design thinking methods ²⁵. The high school opened in 2016 with 32 students, funded in part by a grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation ³⁴.

The nonprofit operates several sibling programs alongside the school: Two Birds (a student-run creative agency), Solution Lab (an in-house student innovation program), Project Good (a community service and design thinking program), One Stone Lab51 (the lab high school program), and One Stone Ventures (an R&D and consulting arm that licenses the school's Growth Framework to partner schools) ². Through One Stone Ventures, the Growth Framework is used in partner schools across multiple states, though these are independent organizations, not One Stone campuses ¹⁷.

Educational model

One Stone's approach centers on student-driven learning, where students work with adult coaches to set their own learning goals, propose the scope of work, and determine assessment methods ¹. The curriculum is organized around the BLOB (Bold Learning Objectives), a framework covering four domains: Mindset, Creativity, Skills, and Knowledge, with Voice as a connecting outcome. The BLOB comprises 24 competencies assessed on a seven-point continuum from "Emerging" to "Mastering" ⁷⁹.

Design thinking, described as a human-centered approach to innovation adapted from Stanford's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, structures learning across all platforms ²⁹. Students engage in "experiences" and "workshops" rather than traditional "classes," guided by "coaches," "specialists," and "mentors" ⁷. The school describes its philosophy as "Living in Beta," modeling iteration and openly soliciting student feedback to adjust structures ⁷.

Assessment is formative and includes performance-based evaluations, peer reviews, self-evaluations, coach observations, and written feedback ⁹. Progress is tracked through the Growth Transcript, a proprietary tool that measures competency development over time. Students present portfolios at the end of each term to parents, guardians, and mentors ¹⁹. The school reports that over 180 colleges and universities have accepted students using the Growth Transcript ⁷⁹.

Student experience

Students at One Stone participate in multiple platforms beyond classroom-based learning. Two Birds Creative Studio is a revenue-generating, student-run agency that provides design, marketing, and social entrepreneurship services to paying clients, including Albertsons and Micron Technology ¹¹⁰. Hatch Idea Lab serves as an entrepreneurship incubator ⁷. Project Good extends the design thinking model to community service, serving over 300 K-12 students annually ⁷.

The school reports a student-coach ratio of 10 to 15:1 ⁷. Students spend significant time outside the school building, using Boise as an extended classroom through internships and self-designed service projects ⁴. Board service is integral to the student experience: student board members approve executive hires, review budgets, set performance goals, and shape long-term strategy ⁵. New student board members receive training during a summer retreat covering fiduciary responsibility, financial documents, and meeting structure ¹⁵.

Curriculum, assessment, and progression

One Stone does not issue traditional letter grades or GPAs ⁵. Instead, the Growth Transcript documents competency development across the four BLOB domains ⁹. Students progress through levels of mastery, with the highest levels considered "equipped for college or career success" ⁶. The school admits students at 9th, 10th, and 11th grade equivalents, resulting in two-, three-, or four-year programs depending on year of entry ¹⁷.

Student-led portfolio presentations occur at the end of each term, where students share their growth and reflections with parents, guardians, and mentors ¹. The Growth Framework, including the BLOB and Growth Transcript, has been licensed to partner schools in California, North Carolina, Washington, Florida, and other states through the Growth Network ⁷⁹.

Public, charter, private, nonprofit, program, network, or platform status

One Stone is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and private school ¹². It is not a charter school and does not rely on public funding ¹. Its funding sources include tuition, grants, donations, and revenue from Two Birds ³⁴⁸. The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation has been a major grant funder, providing part of $24.5 million in 2015 and $2.1 million of $32 million in 2016 ². Tuition covers approximately 40 percent of operating costs, with the remainder supported by fundraising, grants, sponsorships, and other revenue ⁸.

The board of directors is the governing body, with at least two-thirds of voting members being high school students, as mandated by the bylaws ¹⁵. There is a disputed claim regarding who currently chairs the board: Wikipedia lists Nora Smart as Chairperson, while One Stone's current board page lists Mackenzie King, identified as a Class-of-2026 student, as Board Chair ²⁸. Both versions are noted here without resolution.

Locations and availability

One Stone operates a single campus at 1151 W. Miller St., Boise, Idaho 83702 ⁸. There is no virtual or fully online program available; the school describes "One Stone Remote" as a development initiative, not a published program with a stated count of states served ¹. The Growth Network lists independent partner schools that use One Stone's framework, including Bostonia Global, Templeton Academy, Duquesne Middle School, The REALM Creative Academy, Trilogy School, Wild Flower Community School, Lead Prep, Purdue Polytechnic, R.W. Traip Academy, 100 Roads, and Verdi Ecoschool, but these are separate organizations, not One Stone campuses ¹.

Tuition, admissions, and eligibility

One Stone uses a Family Individualized Tuition (FIT) model, where each family's tuition is customized based on demonstrated financial need ¹⁸. For the 2025-2026 school year, tuition ranges from $6,500 per year (Tier 1, for families with incomes up to $50,000) to $17,640 per year (Tier 4, for families with incomes of $150,001 to $200,000) ⁸. Tiers are determined using adjusted gross income verified by the IRS, processed through a third-party platform ⁸.

Admissions operate on a rolling basis, with applications typically opening in January or February ¹. Admission is based on the learner's alignment with One Stone's mission and culture, commitment to the learning approach, and desire to grow as a leader ¹⁸. The application includes questions about student interests and curiosities, a letter of recommendation from a non-family member, and may involve interviews or participation in a One Stone activity ¹.

Idaho's House Bill 93, the Parental Choice Tax Credit, allows families to receive a state tax credit of up to $5,000 per child ($7,500 for children with disabilities) for eligible educational expenses, including One Stone's tuition ⁸. One Stone is not listed as participating in any Education Savings Account (ESA) program.

Credits, transcripts, diplomas, and accreditation

• One Stone holds candidate status for accreditation from the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) ¹.
• The school does not issue traditional transcripts with letter grades; instead, students receive the Growth Transcript, which documents competency development ⁹.
• The school reports that over 180 colleges and universities have accepted students with the Growth Transcript ⁷.
• One Stone's first graduating class was in 2019 ²⁶.

• College-readiness partnerships exist with the College of Idaho, Northwest Nazarene University, and Boise State University ¹.
• The school reports that its seniors have received admissions offers from over 45 different colleges and universities ⁶.

Evidence and outcomes

Outcome data for One Stone is primarily school-reported. The school reports an 84 percent college acceptance rate, $5.7 million in total first-year merit scholarships offered to all students through 2024, and a 92 percent postsecondary persistence rate, compared to a cited 75 percent national average ⁷. An earlier article cited an 83.8 percent college acceptance rate with over $2 million in projected four-year merit scholarships for a prior year ³.

Student enrollment figures vary across sources. Wikipedia, citing 2019 data, lists 130 students ². One Stone's site references approximately 125 students in recent years ¹. An external school profile describes enrollment of approximately 85 to 120 students ⁷. Form 990 data from 2023 shows program service revenue of approximately $539,000 ². These figures are noted as competing versions without resolution.

The University of Idaho's vice provost for enrollment management has described One Stone students as "problem-solvers and leaders" who are "collaborative," and noted that the university has enrolled a handful of applicants from the school ³. Gonzaga University admitted three students from One Stone's inaugural graduating class ⁶.

Best fit

One Stone may suit families seeking an alternative to traditional high school that emphasizes student agency, real-world problem solving, and design thinking. The school describes its students as coming from diverse starting points, including those who struggled in conventional classrooms, high achievers seeking deeper engagement, and students with sensory processing challenges ⁷. Families should be comfortable with a non-traditional transcript, a competency-based assessment model, and significant student involvement in school governance. The sliding-scale tuition model and Idaho tax credit may make the school accessible to families across income levels, though tuition does not fully cover operating costs, and the school depends on philanthropic support ⁸.

Questions parents should ask

1. How does the Growth Transcript translate for college admissions officers unfamiliar with competency-based assessment?
2. What is the current status of NWAIS accreditation, and what timeline does the school expect for full accreditation?
3. How does the student-majority board handle conflicts of interest when student board members are also enrolled at the school?
4. What supports are available for students transitioning from One Stone to traditional college environments?
5. How stable is the school's financial model given that tuition covers approximately 40 percent of operating costs?
6. What is the current enrollment, and how does class size affect the availability of specific learning experiences?

Sources

[1] "One Stone," One Stone, https://onestone.org/, accessed July 22, 2026. [2] "One Stone (nonprofit)," Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Stone_(nonprofit), accessed July 22, 2026. [3] "'Meaningful, Big Things' at One Stone, the Student-Led High School," The 74 Million, https://www.the74million.org/article/innovative-high-schools-one-stone/, accessed July 22, 2026. [4] "Inside the Innovative Idaho High School Where Students Run the Show While Guiding Adults Outside Their Walls," The 74 Million, https://www.the74million.org/article/inside-the-innovative-idaho-high-school-where-students-run-the-show-while-guiding-adults-outside-their-walls/, accessed July 22, 2026. [5] "The School Where Students Decide Strategy and Budgets," Toddle, https://www.toddleapp.com/newsletter/the-school-where-students-decide-strategy-and-budgets/, accessed July 22, 2026. [6] "One Stone's first graduating class makes its way to college," Idaho Education News, https://www.idahoednews.org/features/one-stones-first-graduating-class-makes-its-way-to-college/, accessed July 22, 2026. [7] "One Stone," America Succeeds, https://americasucceeds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/RPC-One-Stone-School-Profile.pdf, accessed July 22, 2026. [8] "One Stone High School," One Stone, https://onestone.org/high-school, accessed July 22, 2026. [9] "GROWTH, LEARNING & THE DISRUPTION BLOB," One Stone, https://onestone.org/disruption-blob, accessed July 22, 2026. [10] "Two Birds Creative Studio," One Stone, https://onestone.org/two-birds, accessed July 22, 2026.