RAISE was established in 2022 by a group of parents with a desire for their families to learn in a community setting. Bear Branch Park was our first home, and our Learners enjoyed units like Botany, Geology, and Life Skills. We learned a lot in our first year! One of our biggest lessons was the Texas weather makes outdoor learning a challenge.

In 2023 we rented indoor space and decided to shift our co-op away from unit studies and utilize a more traditional curriculum. We chose science, history, and novel studies as we felt these subjects were better suited to experience as a community. We divided our Learners into three groups and Learning Partners traded teaching responsibilities week by week. Learners enjoyed getting to learn from a variety of adults while being with a smaller group of Learners.

By 2024 we realized our Learners preferred having the same teacher for longer stretches of time, so we divided each subject into units. Learning Partners taught the same group of Learners for 4-6 weeks. We also expanded into five Learning Groups as our co-op grew. Our oldest group of Learners moved toward a learner led unit study model. Various Learner Partners guided them through units the Learners voted on such as; Cooking, Photography, and Crochet to name a few.

In 2025 we look forward to growing our community even more. Our Emerald learners still enjoy unit studies while our other groups (K-9th grade) will be working through Early Modern History and Earth Sciences. All five groups will do a novel study and Learners often choose whichever book catches their interest the most, leading to diverse age groups and lively discussions.