Courtney Acosta, EdD, is a veteran educational leader with more than two decades of experience spanning classroom instruction, campus administration, district leadership, and national virtual schooling. She currently serves as Senior Director of Compliance and Accountability and Head of School for Apex Learning Virtual School at Edmentum, where she provides strategic leadership to ensure high-quality instruction, operational excellence, and rigorous compliance across consumer and partner-facing virtual school programs.

Dr. Acosta is recognized for her ability to design and lead complex systems that balance innovation with accountability. In her current role, she oversees accreditation and compliance for NCAA, College Board, Cognia, and ACS WASC; leads teacher certification and advanced academics compliance; and sets the vision and operational priorities for Edmentum’s parent-pay virtual school model. Her work ensures that students, families, and educators experience clarity, consistency, and credibility in virtual education.

Previously, Dr. Acosta served as Regional Director of Instruction and Head of School for Apex Learning Virtual School and EdOptions Academy, leading instructional models across a 10-state region and supporting initiatives in enhanced virtual instruction, Advanced Placement programming, NCAA eligibility, and cross-functional systems improvement. She has also served as an instructor of record with Adams State University, supporting educator professional learning and credentialing.

Before transitioning to national and virtual education leadership, Dr. Acosta held multiple senior leadership roles in Georgetown ISD and Round Rock ISD in Texas, including Chief Strategist of Systems and Operations, Executive Director of Campus Operations and School Leadership, and Principal of McNeil High School. Across these roles, she worked closely with superintendents and boards of trustees, led districtwide strategic initiatives, supported campus leaders, and oversaw areas including school safety, student services, advanced academics, CTE, and operational systems. Her leadership is grounded in Professional Learning Communities, High Reliability Schools, and a strong belief in coherent systems that support both adults and students.

Dr. Acosta began her career as a secondary science educator and instructional specialist, bringing a practitioner’s lens to her leadership work. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Lamar University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University. She holds Texas certifications in principalship and secondary composite science.

Through The EdLeadership Pair, Dr. Acosta brings a systems-level, compliance-informed, and practitioner-grounded perspective to conversations about leadership, school improvement, virtual education, and the real work behind sustainable excellence in schools.