Association of Classical & Christian Schools

ACCS Publications:  Classis and The Forum
Classis is the quarterly journal of ACCS which contains articles and book reviews.  The Forum, published monthly (except December and June) provides timely announcements regarding ACCS and its activities as well as member ads for position openings. Read Classis or The Forum online or request a free subscription via email.

A hard copy of our current membership school list is available by request, as well as our mission statement, confession of faith, membership requirements, and back articles from Classis. Call (208) 882-6101 to request any of these materials. (These are also viewable online; see menu on the left.)

ACCS has compiled a Start-Up Notebook written by the Board of Directors, all of whom have either helped to start or operate classical Christian schools.  This is available from ACCS. Click here for ordering information.

A complete list of current ACCS members and affiliates is available here.

The Annual ACCS national conference is held in June  each year.  Click here for more information. 

Regional  teaching training seminars are held in mid to late summer by various ACCS member schools. Click here for more information.

ACCS Basic Steps for Starting

a Classical and Christian School

Step #1:*

Form a small starting board or committee (3-4).  Begin to meet regularly for prayer, study and discussion, whether or not you think starting the school in the immediate future is feasible.  If you don't begin to meet, it never will become feasible.  If you begin to meet now, it will happen far more quickly than you thought it could.

Step #2:

Spend a good portion of your time formulating a common vision of what a classical and Christian school should be.  As a springboard for discussion, read and discuss articles, essays, and books together.  Below is an initial list of recommended books.

"The Lost Tools of Learning"                         Dorothy Sayers

The Abolition of Man                                       C.S. Lewis

Ideas Have Consequences                              Richard Weaver

On Secular Education                                        R.L. Dabney

Of Education                                                          John Milton

On Christian Doctrine                                       Augustine

The Seven Laws of Teaching                         John Gregory

Education, Christianity and the State       J. Gresham Machen

Why Johnny Can't Read                                  Rudolf Flesch

Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning     Douglas Wilson

The Case for Classical Christian Education        Douglas Wilson

Repairing the Ruins                                  edited by Douglas Wilson

Step #3:

As soon as a clear vision has been established, print up promotional literature which clearly articulates that vision for a classical and Christian education.  Ensure that the terms you use are defined.  Do not water down the vision for public consumption.  You want to attract those who will be in general agreement with what you want to do.

Step #4:

Establish your curriculum first, and then do the best you can to hire people who can achieve those objectives.  Do not hire your teachers first, and then seek to discover what you can do with them. Some curriculum resources are listed here.

Step #5:

As the school begins operations, seek at all times to maintain your vision for classical and Christian education.  The only way to maintain it is to implement it.  Implementation requires the following:

            A.  The founding board must be committed in principle to the vision.  Otherwise, certain things will be sacrificed ("Can we really afford a Latin teacher?") for the sake of keeping the school in operation.  For this reason, the board must have at least several strong visionaries on it.

B.  The founding headmaster must understand the vision, and have a deep desire to implement it.  It is he who will oversee the staff training, curriculum, etc.  But at the same time, it is rare to find a visionary with administrative gifts necessary to keep the lights on and the doors open.  Consequently, the administrator will probably be someone fully committed to the vision established by the board, but not necessarily a visionary himself.

C.  Those who are hired to teach must at the very least be open to training (or retraining) in classical methods of teaching.  Most who seek to be teachers will have been education majors in college. This means there is much to unlearn, and they have to be prepared to unlearn it. Most Christian educators understand at least some of the conflicts between what they were taught and Christianity; very few understand the antithesis between modern and classical education.

D.  What the school is attempting to do, and what it has succeeded in doing, must be kept in public view at all times.  Civilization must be cultivated; if you want your classical vision overrun with weeds, no work at all is required.  So the distinguishing features of your school must be emphasized and defended.  If neglected, they will disappear.

Step #6:

Structure the school in such a way as to encourage the involvement of parents.  If the parents are sold on the program, they will be your strongest asset.  Regularly report back to them how the program is doing (test scores, etc.), and draw the connection between your classical emphasis and the achievement of students.

Step #7:

Join the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS).  Contact the ACCS office for details and membership application.  Membership info included with notebook.

*NOTE: ACCS has compiled a School Start-Up Notebook written by members of the ACCS Board of Directors, all of whom have either helped to start or operate classical Christian schools. It contains helpful information, considerations, suggestions, corporate wisdom, and potential pitfalls in starting a classical Christian school.  Specific topics are listed below. 

For ordering information CLICK HERE.