Any middle school parent can attest that managing a teenager’s extracurricular and social life can feel like a full-time job. Practices, rehearsals, games, performances—the list goes on, and the weekly calendar fills up quickly.
For students pursuing their passions at an elite level, those demands can be even greater. Balancing intensive training, competition and travel with the expectations of school requires flexibility and support. To help those students, CUSD created the Elite Performance Academy through its South County Virtual Academy independent study program. The academy provides students with the flexibility to manage demanding schedules while continuing to grow and compete at a high level.
The EPA opened in the fall of the 2026-27 school year, and provides a flexible learning environment with a performance training component, the very first offered by a public school district in Orange County. Enrolled students complete independent study with support from credentialed CUSD teachers and gain scheduling flexibility during the school day for training, practice and travel. They also have access to performance training sessions with a certified coach.
Christian Cardey, a former Tesoro health and physical education teacher and water polo coach, is the EPA coach guiding the students through training sessions and monitoring their academic progress. He holds two training sessions each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, that focus on speed and agility or strength and power. The schedule was designed to provide flexibility for students to practice with their teams and travel to competitions. Most students are staying the entire day to attend both sessions, with class and study sessions in between.
The inaugural class is composed of over 40 student-athletes from a variety of sports, including baseball, football, basketball, gymnastics, dance and more. While their athletic pursuits are varied, the training they receive from Coach Cardey supports overall athleticism and performance.
The strength and conditioning program gives students a foundation they can build on and measure throughout the year. Along the way, they are learning proper form and technique, understanding which muscle groups they are using and seeing how each movement translates to athletic performance. Coach Cardey also connects the drills to individual sports, whether it’s using lateral movement to create a quick first step on the basketball court or breaking for a steal on the softball diamond.
One unique aspect of the academy is the High School Prep Year. Students can take an additional year between 8th and 9th grade to grow physically and academically as they prepare for high school.
Just a few weeks into the school year and these students, most of whom hadn’t met before, have quickly formed a bond. They enjoy the camaraderie built through training and studying together, and a little friendly competition gives some extra excitement to the workouts. They are all there to learn and grow, just a little every day, as they pursue their dreams.
The Elite Performance Academy was created for students and families looking for an educational experience that fits the demands of their lives. It combines the flexibility of independent study with support from credentialed teachers and dedicated performance training.
For these students, pursuing their goals requires countless hours of practice, training and travel. At the EPA, those commitments don’t have to come at the expense of their education. Instead of asking students to choose between school and their passions, the academy gives them the opportunity to pursue both—and see just how far they can go.
