Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Concordia Academy?
A: We’re a Lutheran school that cares deeply about forming our children in the faith and giving them the tools necessary to pursue Christ wherever the Lord calls them. We’re intentionally Christian and particularly Lutheran in our teaching and daily worship. We care to form our students is wisdom and virtue, as well as in faith, hope, and love.
Our curriculum is sometimes called “classical” (see below), which simply means that it has to do with the classical cultures of Greece, Rome, and the Hebrews, especially as they were taken up by the Christians and directed towards Christ as the fulfillment of all that is true, good, & beautiful.
Our school’s ethos is Lutheran, and intentionally so. We begin each day with the ancient morning prayer service called Matins. The Scriptures, Luther’s Small Catechism, and the hymns of the Church will form our Christian identity and guide us towards a life of faith towards God and love towards our neighbor. Of course, one need not be Lutheran to attend—all are most welcome!
Our curriculum is sometimes called “classical” (see below), which simply means that it has to do with the classical cultures of Greece, Rome, and the Hebrews, especially as they were taken up by the Christians and directed towards Christ as the fulfillment of all that is true, good, & beautiful.
Our school’s ethos is Lutheran, and intentionally so. We begin each day with the ancient morning prayer service called Matins. The Scriptures, Luther’s Small Catechism, and the hymns of the Church will form our Christian identity and guide us towards a life of faith towards God and love towards our neighbor. Of course, one need not be Lutheran to attend—all are most welcome!
Q: What Is Classical Education?
A: At its core classical education cares about how to think and what to do. We call that a formation of wisdom and virtue. To do this we focus our studies on three particular Western cultures centered in Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem. Athens (Greek culture) teaches us a life formed by philosophy and literature; Rome (Roman culture) teaches us a life formed by the practical and political; and Jerusalem (Hebrew culture—especially as it has been received in Christian tradition) teaches us a life formed by the Spirit of God, who takes what belongs to Christ and delivers that life to us trough the Word, thereby drawing us into the glory of God the Father.
While focusing on these three ancient cultures we do not neglect our own American history and culture. In fact, without these three ancient cultures, it is impossible to rightly understand our American culture, which is built upon them.
This sort of education is built upon the “liberal arts” and the “humanities”—the first, a set of skills, the other the content. Liberal arts are grammar, logic, and rhetoric (what we call the language arts, the “Trivium”); as well as arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy (what we call the mathematical arts, the “Quadrivium”). These form the mind. The humanities include history, literature, and philosophy. These fill the mind. Together they form in us wisdom & virtue—the goal of classical education.
Classical education, in summary, is the study of the three ancient cultures of the Greeks, Romans, and Hebrews (and the languages that produced them) along with the liberal arts. Through these it cultivates wisdom and virtue, teaching us how to think and what to do.
While focusing on these three ancient cultures we do not neglect our own American history and culture. In fact, without these three ancient cultures, it is impossible to rightly understand our American culture, which is built upon them.
This sort of education is built upon the “liberal arts” and the “humanities”—the first, a set of skills, the other the content. Liberal arts are grammar, logic, and rhetoric (what we call the language arts, the “Trivium”); as well as arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy (what we call the mathematical arts, the “Quadrivium”). These form the mind. The humanities include history, literature, and philosophy. These fill the mind. Together they form in us wisdom & virtue—the goal of classical education.
Classical education, in summary, is the study of the three ancient cultures of the Greeks, Romans, and Hebrews (and the languages that produced them) along with the liberal arts. Through these it cultivates wisdom and virtue, teaching us how to think and what to do.
Q: What courses are offered?
A: Our curriculum centers on the classics of the Western world and finds its grounding in her languages, namely Greek and Latin. The student will learn the grammar (facts) and logic (reasoning) of various topics as well as the rhetoric (communication) of performing and doing what they’ve learned.
A student at Concordia Academy-Wichita can expect to take Latin, Greek, and one modern foreign language (Spanish or German). He or she will read classic literature from ancient to modern. We'll study world history, the American Republic, the natural sciences, mathematics, formal logic, and rhetoric (written and oral). We’ll have choir, fine art, and physical education. Lutheran Catechesis will beautifully draw all our pursuits to Christ, who does all things well.
A student at Concordia Academy-Wichita can expect to take Latin, Greek, and one modern foreign language (Spanish or German). He or she will read classic literature from ancient to modern. We'll study world history, the American Republic, the natural sciences, mathematics, formal logic, and rhetoric (written and oral). We’ll have choir, fine art, and physical education. Lutheran Catechesis will beautifully draw all our pursuits to Christ, who does all things well.
Q: How much does Concordia Academy cost?
A: Our goal is to offer a quality, liberal arts education for as little cost to the family as possible. Thanks to the generosity of various individuals and congregations, tuition is only $6,000 per student. The school’s funding consists of three primary sources: 1) Tuition; 2) Private Scholarship Donors; and 3) Gifts from area churches. Through these gifts, we seek to offer tuition-based scholarships to those in need.
Q: What about Greek & Latin?
A: Yes, these ancient languages play a big part in our education. Language goes hand-in-hand with culture. And beyond reading Julius Caesar in Latin, or Plato in Greek, our students will be able to pick up John’s Gospel and read it as he wrote it, bringing untold delight and always new insight. These languages also form the mind, teaching precision, judgment, and beauty in expression. Latin and Greek are the basis of our grammar and logic--even in English—which are skills essential to the fast pace of our ever-changing, technological society. Plus, knowing Latin and Greek makes English all the easier, not to mention Spanish, French, and Italian.
Q: What if classical education is new to us—can we still come?
A: Of course! We recognize that for many this is brand new. To help that transition, we’ve designed an orientation that will be for all upper-school students during the week before the fall term begins. Our cohort groups (students who learn together) will be kept to 12 or fewer, and students will be given individualized instruction that ensures none are lost in the shuffle. Placement tests taken before the school year starts will help us determine where each student is academically. Students who have not had ancient languages previously will start from the beginning in this area. All that to say: your kid will fit right in!
Q: What about technology?
A: With technology come many great advances to our daily life and society. The benefits are manifold, seen most clearly in medicine and communication, though nothing is left unaffected. In such a world, it’s impossible to avoid teaching and using the technological advances of recent years. However, have you noticed how your kids never took a tutorial on how to use a smart phone, or a tablet? This generation figures out new technology far more easily than we do, and without even trying! What this generation needs to be taught, perhaps more than anything, is how to use their mind and their hands, so that technology—which comes naturally to them—can find its proper place in their lives, and not dominate who they are or what they do.
While our school prefers books over kindles, pencils over tablets, and dialogue to texts, we also recognize the proper place of computers and 3D printers, GPS, typing, and even social media (with some healthy restrictions, of course).
While our school prefers books over kindles, pencils over tablets, and dialogue to texts, we also recognize the proper place of computers and 3D printers, GPS, typing, and even social media (with some healthy restrictions, of course).
Q: How will this help with college…real life?
A: A classical Lutheran education isn’t just nostalgic—idealizing the past. Rather, it’s the most practical education anyone can get today. And that because our goal is to form the whole person—body, mind, and soul. It’s not a tech-school, specializing in a certain skill set; or a theoretical school, as if all that matters is the mind; and it’s not just Sunday school, with the Bible as our only text. But by bringing all three together (hands, mind, and heart), we’re teaching our students to be wise and virtuous—to think and to do what is good, right, and salutary—in whatever vocation our Lord calls them.
We truly believe that those who know Latin will have a better mastery of English, thus writing a better essay to persuade the college entrance exam reader. Those trained in Socratic Logic are better equipped to hear and analyze the news and speak intelligently to what’s going on in this world. And those steeped in the Lutheran Confessions will know without a doubt that it’s all about Christ for us.
We truly believe that those who know Latin will have a better mastery of English, thus writing a better essay to persuade the college entrance exam reader. Those trained in Socratic Logic are better equipped to hear and analyze the news and speak intelligently to what’s going on in this world. And those steeped in the Lutheran Confessions will know without a doubt that it’s all about Christ for us.
Q: Where Can I Read More on This?
A: We have many recommendations! Here are just a few…
For Online Resources:
For Online Resources:
- CiRCE Institute – circeinstitute.org
- Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education - ccle.org
- Memoria Press – memoriapress.com
- Wittenberg Academy – wittenbergacademy.org
- Society for Classical Learning — societyforclassicallearning.org
- Korcok, Thomas. Lutheran Education: From Wittenberg to the Future. St. Louis: CPH, 2011.
- Veith, Gene Edward and Andrew Kern, ed. Brian Phillips. Classical Education: The Movement Sweeping
America. 3rd Ed. Capitol Research Center, 2015. - Gamble, Richard M. The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on What It Means to be an Educated Human
Being. Wilmington, ISI Books, 2007. - Kopff, E. Christian. The Devil Knows Latin: Why America Needs the Classical Tradition. Wilmington: ISI
Books, 1998, 2001. - Lewis, C.S. The Abolition of Man. New York: HarperCollins, 1944, 2000.
- Littlejohn, Robert and Charles T. Evans. Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical
Learning. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.
Q: Is Concordia Academy tax-exempt?
Yes! Concordia Academy is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning your gift to us is tax-deductible.
Q: What about accreditation?
Concordia Academy will seek accreditation through the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE) and the National Lutheran Schools Accreditation (NLSA). To learn more about CCLE, visit their website at ccle.org, which discusses accreditation. Read more about the NLSA at luthed.org.