Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Calling all puzzle fans! If you think you’d be a great fit for the Mysterious Benedict Society or the perfect sidekick for Professor Layton, this course is for you. Students stretch their logic muscles by trying different puzzles every week, building mathematical, spatial, and semantic reasoning along the way. They will also practice communication and collaboration skills as they work through challenges together. This is the course where thinking hard is the whole point, and loving it is the bonus.
Calling all puzzle fans. If your child would fit right in with the Mysterious Benedict Society, or make the perfect sidekick for Professor Layton, this is their course. Students stretch their logic muscles and learn along the way as they take on a different set of puzzles every week. This is the course where thinking hard is the whole point, and loving it is the bonus.
Every week brings challenging puzzles that draw on mathematical, spatial, and semantic reasoning. Your child works real logic and reasoning skills, the same ones that advanced math and standardized tests quietly depend on, without a worksheet in sight.
Many puzzles are built to be solved together. Students share strategies, talk through their thinking, and stretch their teamwork skills as they work toward the solution as a group. Those collaboration skills are exactly what schools and workplaces value most.
Solving puzzles means planning ahead, choosing what to tackle first, and staying flexible as students try new ideas and listen to their teammates. It is the ultimate brain workout to keep your gifted child thinking and growing.
Each week features a different set of puzzles, so there is always something new to sink their teeth into. Your child never runs out of brain teasers to conquer.
Every puzzle in this course exercises mathematical, spatial, or semantic reasoning, but it does not feel like schoolwork. Your child builds the logic skills that standardized tests and advanced math rely on, all while having a blast solving challenges with friends. Parents tell us their kids start seeking out puzzles on their own.
Many of these puzzles require students to think together, share strategies, and explain their reasoning to each other. Those collaboration and communication skills are exactly what schools, colleges, and workplaces value most. Your child practices them naturally because the puzzles are genuinely more fun to solve as a team.
YSA is a UC-registered online publisher and WASC-accredited Supplementary Education Center, which means our courses can count toward official college credit requirements. State schools can recognize the courses your student takes here, adding real legitimacy to your homeschooling journey or building on top of your student's existing transcript. That unlocks two ways to enroll: For Credit -- Your student earns official, accredited credit toward their transcript. For-credit students complete weekly assignments that build toward their transcript grade. Outside-of-class work ranges from 1-2 hours per week. Perfect for families who want documentation that reflects what their child is actually capable of -- to show the world how brilliant they are. For Enrichment -- Your student takes the very same course purely for the love of learning. No grades, no outside-of-class work, no credit attached. Just the content, the community, and the growth. Same course. Same mentor. Same experience in class. You choose what fits your family.
If you homeschool, this works seamlessly. If your student attends another school full time, we create a report card and transcript that we share with you, and you share with the school. It is up to your primary school to accept it and add it to your student's official transcript.
Build genuine mathematical understanding through exploration and discovery, not memorization and worksheets 
Develop problem-solving strategies and logical reasoning skills that transfer to every academic subject and real-world situation 
Work at their own pace with a mentor who adapts to their learning style, celebrates their strengths, and pushes them to grow 
Gain confidence with challenging material in a small group where every student gets real individual attention and support 
Malikai Bass is a twice exceptional (profoundly gifted/ autistic adhder with dyspraxia/dysgrpahia) life-long learner who has been teaching twice-exceptional students virtually for the past four years working with over a thousand students in classrooms that center, celebrate, and affirm neurodiversity. I love helping students succeed and find the ways their brain works to thrive in all subjects and highlight the ways we can use gaming to practice and expand our executive functioning, life, and real social skills.
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"This mentor worked tirelessly to help my learner overcome her math anxiety and provided opportunities for her to shine. Her math skills grew so much, as well as her confidence. The course moved at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow, as it was specifically geared to the individual students and their skill set and comfort level."
Claudia M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son thinks he is just doing brain teasers with Mr. Malikai. I see him building the exact logical reasoning his schoolwork keeps asking for."
Tomas V.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"This mentor worked tirelessly to help my learner overcome her math anxiety and provided opportunities for her to shine. Her math skills grew so much, as well as her confidence. The course moved at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow, as it was specifically geared to the individual students and their skill set and comfort level."
Claudia M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son thinks he is just doing brain teasers with Mr. Malikai. I see him building the exact logical reasoning his schoolwork keeps asking for."
Tomas V.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Every week Mr. Malikai brings a different puzzle, and my daughter cannot wait to attack it. She has started hunting down logic puzzles on her own at home."
Renee A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Malikai makes the kids explain their reasoning to each other. My son's ability to talk through a spatial problem has grown so much this semester."
Simone D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Every week Mr. Malikai brings a different puzzle, and my daughter cannot wait to attack it. She has started hunting down logic puzzles on her own at home."
Renee A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Malikai makes the kids explain their reasoning to each other. My son's ability to talk through a spatial problem has grown so much this semester."
Simone D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The puzzles stretch mathematical, spatial, and semantic thinking all at once. Mr. Malikai keeps it so playful that my daughter never realizes how hard she is working."
Yolanda B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son used to freeze on hard problems. Mr. Malikai taught him to plan ahead, pick where to start, and stay flexible. That patience with tough puzzles is a real gift."
Grant W.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The puzzles stretch mathematical, spatial, and semantic thinking all at once. Mr. Malikai keeps it so playful that my daughter never realizes how hard she is working."
Yolanda B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son used to freeze on hard problems. Mr. Malikai taught him to plan ahead, pick where to start, and stay flexible. That patience with tough puzzles is a real gift."
Grant W.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"This mentor worked tirelessly to help my learner overcome her math anxiety and provided opportunities for her to shine. Her math skills grew so much, as well as her confidence. The course moved at a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow, as it was specifically geared to the individual students and their skill set and comfort level."
Claudia M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son thinks he is just doing brain teasers with Mr. Malikai. I see him building the exact logical reasoning his schoolwork keeps asking for."
Tomas V.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Every week Mr. Malikai brings a different puzzle, and my daughter cannot wait to attack it. She has started hunting down logic puzzles on her own at home."
Renee A.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Mr. Malikai makes the kids explain their reasoning to each other. My son's ability to talk through a spatial problem has grown so much this semester."
Simone D.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The puzzles stretch mathematical, spatial, and semantic thinking all at once. Mr. Malikai keeps it so playful that my daughter never realizes how hard she is working."
Yolanda B.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son used to freeze on hard problems. Mr. Malikai taught him to plan ahead, pick where to start, and stay flexible. That patience with tough puzzles is a real gift."
Grant W.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
Most online classes put 20-30 kids in a room with a teacher who reads slides. At YSA, your child joins a group of 8 or fewer students who think like they do, led by a mentor who was often once just like them. Cameras are optional. The content is chosen by passion, not grade level. And 93% of families re-enroll - because kids who have never liked school before fight to log on to YSA.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Logic Puzzles meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Same friends, same mentor, a new challenge every week.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is engaged in a course they chose, with a mentor who gets them and peers who share their interests, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "See Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
An internet connection and a can-do attitude!