What is a Christian Classical Education? 

Developing a Christian Worldview

We are a Christian school, first and foremost. We believe in developing a strong Biblical worldview in each of our students. It has been said that “All truth is God’s truth.” We, therefore, approach learning through the rubrics that all truth emanates from God. Academic excellence begins and ends with God. Developing students’ knowledge of God and godly principles about their study subjects allows them to make connections and find answers to the great questions of life. We seek to integrate the Christian faith throughout the curriculum so that students graduate from Plano Christian Academy prepared for life. 

A Classical Approach to Education

Classical education is a time-tested approach to learning. The distinctiveness of a classical education is not necessarily found in a set of different subjects as much as it is a different approach to the same subjects. All the subjects are integrated. History is told as a story. Students are introduced to some of the great works throughout history that shape our culture. Latin is introduced to develop the student’s ability to think and to expand his/her vocabulary. The foundation upon which a Classical education is built is the Trivium’s three-stage process. The Trivium is designed to coordinate with the student’s natural development.

The Trivium consists of a Grammar stage, a Logic (or Dialectic) stage, and a Rhetoric stage. The Grammar stage covers grades K-5. During this stage, students’ minds are like sponges. They love to soak up as much information as possible and enjoy recitation. Grammar is not just limited to the subject of English. Each subject contains foundational truths or grammar. The Grammar stage builds this foundation for the remaining two stages of learning.

The Logic stage covers grades 6-8. During this stage, students question their world and the instruction they receive. We introduce Formal (Aristotelian) Logic to teach students how to reason well. They have already received a vast amount of information during the Grammar stage. Now they are taught how to distinguish between the important and the trivial. We teach them to recognize and avoid invalid arguments. We also teach them to organize their arguments and ideas in a persuasive manner.

The Rhetoric stage covers grades 9-12. During this stage, students are taught the art of presentation in written and oral communication. Students learn the art of persuasion and integration based on the knowledge and reasoning they developed through their course of study. During this stage, we seek to fully develop each student’s purpose, wisdom, and excellence.

Classical Christian education maintains a biblical worldview as it guides students through learning. Students leave PCA with the ability to approach any subject and make it their own