Dr. Cynthia Smith wants to ensure the youth on the East Side of Jacksonville, FL, have no limitations in their career pursuits.
Smith grew up in the area and has always valued education. In fact, she holds a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree and has remained a lifelong educator, working for the public school system for 16 years.
Minds of the Future Academy and Foundation
She is now the founder of the Minds of the Future Academy, which first began serving preschoolers under a for-profit model in 2016. Three years later, the vision expanded to a K-12 tuition-free private STEM school in Jacksonville, FL, under Smith’s Minds of the Future Foundation. The organization receives $8,000 in funding through Step Up For Students to help cover the cost of attendance for students, according to information shared with AFROTECH™.
“It was a big deal for me to open my school, my vision, in an area in which I grew up because I knew that I would be fully supported … It was a big deal for me because growing up, schools were available to African American children if your parents could afford to send you to a private school,” Smith told AFROTECH™. “I created this school because even the schools today, traditional public schools, in order to get in a school that has specific programs, children have to have a magnet or a lottery to get in.”
In October 2025, Smith purchased a 28,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, bringing all of the school’s operations under one roof. The expanded building is now the new home for the Minds of the Future Academy.
James Boone Photography
It features a computer lab, STEM lab, and podcasting and media production space. There is also a makerspace where students can create clothing. Over the summer, students previously made jean jackets that were sold in the on-site merchandise store, with proceeds going toward school activities.
The academy also features the Wynter Mitchell and Friends Garden, a community garden that grows watermelon, corn, peppers, and white potatoes. On Fridays, students and their families can take home produce for free.
As for the curriculum, technology is a key focus, as students in kindergarten through fifth grade can participate in daily computer coding, robotics, and visual arts electives, while middle and high school students can participate in those offerings on Fridays through a workforce development program that also includes:
- AI
- CPR and first aid
- Entrepreneurship and startup development
- Digital marketing and social media management
- Financial literacy
- Carpentry
- Photography and media production
- Podcasting and broadcasting
- Graphic design
- Cosmetlogy
- Mental health
“We’re giving students an additional eight certification opportunities for them to be able to walk out of our doors and work immediately upon graduation,” Smith explained.
After-school programs led by support staff are more hands-on, offering electives such as jazz and violin, drumlines, ballet, tap, and majorette dancing for middle and high school students. External internships are also offered to junior and senior students for college and career readiness.
The academy offers other career-building programs, including an upcoming themed Monopoly Night that will teach students about the value of homeownership, with talks from bankers and realtors.
“They’re gonna learn that you have to have money in order to buy a house on different sides of town,” Smith said.
The academy has a 90% retention rate among students and a 97% retention rate among staff. Its staff has grown from eight to 30 members in preparation for the new school year.
“Over the years, we’ve provided that opportunity for teachers and staff to be professionally developed so that they can expand in [their] current positions and grow in the current positions that they’re already in,” Smith said.
As of July 17, 2026, Minds of the Future Academy is fully accredited.
Smith hopes to receive additional funding to fuel the academy’s efforts.
