Frequently Asked Questions
We strongly encourage you to join us for our next info meeting to learn more about Knox Classical School, but we hope that these answers to common questions will be helpful in the meantime.
Admissions & Tuition
We're opening in fall 2024 for grades K—3. Our team is committed to adding one grade each year until we are a full K—12 school.
We're currently accepting applications for the 2024–2025 school year, and we'll announce application dates for future years in the coming months. The first required step for admission is to attend an info meeting, and you can RSVP here. Visit our application process page for more details.
Generally, students will be admitted to the grade level based on their age as of September 1. To start kindergarten at Knox Classical School, students must be five years old as of September 1.
Our heart and commitment is to do everything within our power to make this education affordable for as many families as possible, while simultaneously paying our teachers well enough that they can make a long-term commitment to our school. Our tuition and fee numbers reflect careful planning and budgeting to ensure financial stability and that we’re providing a truly excellent comprehensive education. We also kept in mind the tuition rates of other collaborative or similar programs in the area as we developed our own. Please visit our tuition & fees page for current numbers.
We don't offer discounted tuition for multiple students from a single family, but we're striving to keep tuition as affordable as possible.
Academics
Classical education refers to the prevailing method of educating children in democratic Greece and from the Renaissance through about 150 years ago, when educators began experimenting with modern methods that threw off traditional methods in favor of training workers for the factory—and the results on American education and morals have been disastrous.
Classical education is a method of instruction that focuses on the instillation of virtue and humility, especially by acquainting children with the development of Western civilization. Classical education produced some of the greatest minds our country has ever seen—including Washington, Adams, and Lincoln. Classical Christian education recognizes that all truth is God’s truth, and so Scripture’s insight into the human condition and the created world is foundational to a classical Christian education.
The uniqueness of classical instruction is readily apparent at the logic and rhetoric phases (traditionally grades 7-9 and 10-12, respectively), where the emphasis isn’t just knowledge for knowledge’s sake (or for the sake of a standardized test) but discernment and prudent, persuasive communication of truth. At the grammar level (traditionally K-6), the most apparent differences are in orientation—in that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” not “self discovery” or even the world around us—and methodology, with a heavy emphasis on memorization and earnest effort to encourage a love of learning through vivid books, hands-on projects, and wide exposure to what’s good, true, and beautiful.
We believe that students from a variety of educational backgrounds—including public school, conventional private school, and homeschool—will be able to transition successfully into classical education. Much of the foundational memory work, such as the catechism, English phonograms, and the history timeline, is revisited each year of the grammar level, so incoming students will be able to learn that information beginning in any grade.
Absolutely! Our curriculum is designed to offer various "on ramps" so students who have not previously studied Latin will be able to participate fully in Latin class.
The Board of Directors has created a curriculum committee that recommends curricula, and the entire Board of Directors votes to approve curriculum selections. We're blessed to have a team representing decades of collective experience in classical Christian education, and we’ve curated a set of curriculum that we believe represents some of the best of the best for you and your student. You can find a full list of our curriculum selections on our curriculum page.
While the same grading scale would apply to all students, classical teachers are prepared to work with students with different abilities, as long as one student's needs do not dominate on-campus class time. Because of the increased role of parents in our educational model, there is ample opportunity for a child with mild learning differences to receive extra attention at home and complete supplemental assignments, tutoring, or therapy during the at-home school days. Students with severe learning differences would probably not thrive at Knox Classical School due to the overall academic rigor and pace of instruction. For further information, please see our Family Handbook.
We will not seek accreditation by the state of Kansas, as that could require us to comply with state mandates that could compromise key elements of our mission and vision. We’ve become members of the Association of Classical Christian Schools and the Society for Classical Learning, both of which impose standards on their members and accredits classical schools. As we grow, we plan to seek accreditation from ACCS or SCL.
Many excellent classical Christian schools aren’t yet accredited by ACCS or SCL, and most choose not to become state accredited. Because we’re committed to one day seeking accreditation, you can be confident that we’re committed to excellence at every level—teaching, curriculum, administration, and leadership.
Christian, classical, collaborative schools are flourishing throughout the country. For some examples in other cities, consider:
Collaborative Approach
No, parents are not required to be on campus on Mondays and Wednesdays, but parents and siblings are be welcome to attend our morning and afternoon assemblies.
Parents receive assignment sheets for the at-home days with exact assignments prepared by their student’s teacher. Parents aren't responsible for any curriculum development or planning, but parents are responsible for assisting their children on at-home days and expected to take a curious, intentional, and involved approach to their children’s schoolwork.
The amount of time spent on assignments on Tuesdays and Thursdays will depend on many factors, including your student's age and maturity, learning style and speed, family size, and family dynamics. Based on the experiences reported at similar classical Christian collaborative schools, the following is a rough estimate:
- Kindergarten: 1.5 — 3 hours per at-home day.
- First Grade: 2.5 — 4 hours per at-home day.
- Second Grade: 3.0 — 4.5 hours per at-home day.
- Third Grade: 3.5 — 5.0 hours per at-home day.
With careful planning and firm commitment to the school's philosophy of education, it's possible for both parents to work outside the home and for their children to thrive at Knox Classical School. Since Monday and Wednesday are on-campus days, some teaching parents might pursue part-time work on those days. Others might involve grandparents, relatives, or other caregivers in the at-home teaching.
At-School Days
Students are on campus on Mondays and Wednesdays and receive detailed assignments to complete at home with their parents on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our curriculum is designed to leave Friday as a flex day at least through fourth grade, allowing families to catch up on assignments, pursue further enrichment activities, or simply enjoy time together as a family.
We anticipate that school is in session from 8:15am — 3:30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Our goal is to keep classes limited to 12—16 students. We believe that small class sizes allow for optimal teacher and student interaction and greatest mastery of the material.
We meet at Providence Community Church, 10113 Lenexa Dr, Lenexa, KS 66215.
We're consulting with local law enforcement officers to implement best practices for student safety. We'll train parents and students on all safety measures before school opens during Parent Bootcamp.
Yes, we've established a uniform policy to help students embrace their vocation as students striving toward excellence, avoid social distractions related to attire, and as a security measure so that teachers and staff can easily identify students. We also believe that using school uniforms will ultimately save parents money. Our full uniform policy is available in our Family Handbook.
Statement of Faith & Denominational Affiliation
We are not affiliated with a particular church or denomination. As indicated by our Statement of Faith, we are rooted firmly in the Protestant tradition and maintain a posture of Reformed "catholicity." Our founding Board members are all members of Providence Community Church, but we look forward to partnering with like-minded members of other churches to help lead Knox Classical School.
No. Our theology instruction focuses on the tenets affirmed in our Statement of Faith, and parents, as the primary individuals charged by God to raise their children in the instruction of the Lord, are responsible for any other matters of doctrine. For further details, please see our policy regarding secondary doctrine in our Family Handbook.
To maintain a distinctively Christ-centered community at Knox Classical School, our board members, faculty, staff, both parents of every student, and students grades 7-12 are all required to sign a statement affirming that they agree with and abide by our Statement of Faith.
