Did that title catch your attention?  Let’s stop at this point and recognize one important factor in your search for the right educational program for your child. There is no perfect school – public, private, Christian, or even homeschool! We’re all fallible human beings with a bent toward sin, and we live in an imperfect world. Once we understand that concept, we can more effectively move ahead in our search for the right school.

Despite the fact that we’ll never find (or achieve) perfection on this earth, there are many outstanding schools and important factors to consider when deciding which was is the right one for YOUR children and family.

1.  What’s important to you? When beginning the process of finding the right school environment for your child, consider your strongest convictions. Are you looking for a school that offers and supports your Christian values and Biblical principles? If so, that will immediately disqualify some schools and narrow your search.

2.  Size of the school. Classroom size and facilities matter. They change the dynamic of instruction, offer relational and interactive experiences, and equip the teacher to differentiate between the learning needs of individual students. In an extremely large school, students may rarely have class with the same students again and have less possibility of building relationships with their teachers. In a school with fewer grade level sections, students will have familiar faces in class from year to year along with the opportunity for new friendships.  They will be known by staff and faculty members and recognized as the individual that God created them to be.

3.  What are your child’s interests and hobbies? You’ll want to consider what different schools have to offer. Do they offer a strong fine arts program? Do they offer a wide variety of athletic opportunities? What about clubs? Extracurricular opportunities offer students a chance to learn how to interact with others, develop a passion or hobby, or fine-tune their athletic ability and contribute to a team. 

4.  Spiritual development. Have you considered the difference that a distinctively Christian education can make in your child’s life? When the message is consistent at home, at church, and at school, children find security and build trust in the solid foundation of Christianity. Consider how many hours each week your child will be at school. As they get older and involved in after school activities, the total can easily reach fifty hours a week! Those are hours full of possibility for spiritual guidance and development depending on the school environment and the freedom to teach Biblical truth.

5.  Does the school offer Advanced Placement, Honors, or Dual Enrollment classes? For some students, these advanced level classes can provide greater challenge and stimulation in addition to college credit hours. When students can accomplish a college class under the facilitation of familiar teachers, it often provides an easier transition to their first experience in a college level class. Beginning a college career with credit hours “under their belt” also allows students some cushion to explore other electives, take a more manageable course load, or have extra credit hours that can help if they change their major.

 

There’s a lot to consider when choosing a school for your child.  Although you’ll never find a perfect school during this lifetime, at Grace Christian Academy, you’ll find many reasons why GCA is the right option for YOUR family.

 

Why GCA?  Grace Christian Academy is large enough to offer a rich variety of fine arts, athletic, club, and other extra-curricular opportunities. Students quickly find their niche, and it delights our faculty and staff to see students growing in their area of giftedness or exploring a new area of interest. From crafting to Robotics and so much more, students at GCA are strongly encouraged to explore campus clubs. Student government, a robust fine arts program, and a wide variety of athletic teams ensure that every student can find their “sweet spot”.

GCA and the campus is expansive enough to offer plenty of space for student events and extracurricular activities, yet has a community feel. The size of our student body, with just over 800 students grades K-12, means that students will undoubtedly see familiar faces in their classes every year. Additionally, GCA typically welcomes over one hundred new students to campus each year, which means that being a new student is not uncommon! Our students are used to seeing new faces in the crowd throughout the year. With an active Parent Teacher Fellowship and plenty of volunteer opportunities, parents have lots of occasions to connect, build friendships, and get to know the faculty and staff.

With all subject areas, whether math, science, or English, taught from a Biblical worldview, the academic program at Grace Christian Academy is distinctively Christian in approach. We unapologetically and unashamedly recognize the Bible as God’s inerrant message to our world, offering guidance, a framework for our lives, and most importantly, His message of redemption for those who trust Him. Daily Bible classes for all grade levels, weekly chapel services, spiritual emphasis days, and retreats offer purposeful and opportunities for spiritual growth to happen. With a mission to first LEAD students to a saving knowledge of Christ, parents can confidently partner with GCA, knowing that above all else, the deepest desire of each faculty and staff member is that students would know Jesus Christ intimately as their personal Savior.

Grace Christian Academy is the school community that over six hundred families in the greater Knoxville area call home. You’ll often hear the word “family” used when describing the connections that students and their parents find here. Are you looking for a distinctively Christian school, large enough to offer creative learning and extracurricular options but small enough to build friendships? Do you long for your child to be immersed in an educational program where Biblical truths are the foundation for learning? Are you drawn to a partnership with a school that will support you as a parent to raise your child to know Christ?  

You’ve come to the right place.