A charter school is a tuition-free, non-selective, public school operated by an independent board of directors. Unlike neighborhood schools, charter schools are given flexibility to articulate a distinct mission, design a curriculum around that mission, and hire faculty who can best deliver it. The result is a unique and innovative educational model that responds to the needs of different students and their families. All students are welcome to apply to a charter school, and if the number of applicants exceeds the number of available spots, students are chosen by lottery.

The core principle of all charter schools is that parents have the primary right, authority, and responsibility to direct the education of their children. The state has a concurrent obligation to assist families in making this decision, not by dictating answers but by providing options.

Charter Schools: A Partnership Between the School and Families

Ascent Classical Academy is one such option. We consider our work to rest upon a partnership between the family and the school. That partnership is guided by our mission, that is clear and direct: to train the minds and improve the hearts of young people through a classical, content-rich education in the liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue in an orderly and disciplined environment.

Our mission provides parents with something to contemplate and discuss with their students. Some families will find this appealing, and others will not. The beauty of the charter school movement is that even while taking a stand in favor of the classical school model, we can still recognize that reasonable people will disagree.

This moderate approach to education protects the primacy of the family and is therefore something that we at Ascent Classical Academy wholeheartedly support.