Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some of our most frequently asked questions are listed below, however, if you have additional questions, please contact us.

Q: What academic programs are offered by ACA?

Ascent Classical Academies offers academic programs that include Charter Schools, Private School, Homeschooling, and Enrichment opportunities, in addition to exploring other educational models that best fit families’ needs. To read more about public charter schools, follow this link here.

Q: What Grades will Ascent Classical Academy Schools Serve?

Ascent Classical™ Academy schools base each school’s opening design on the community demand and facility availability. This may range from grades K-3 to K-9 the first year, adding at least one grade each year until reaching K-12.

Q: Will Ascent Classical™ Academy serve students with special needs?

Yes, our schools serve students with special needs. Direct instruction, the structure and coherence of the Core Knowledge curriculum along with the Riggs phonics program are very effective and the school is likely to be able to support a broader spectrum of special needs. The focus of the school and its Student Services is to provide support and tools to enable all students to be successful in school and life.

Ascent Classical™ Academy will ask applicants if their children have special needs only after they have an accepted seat in the school. At that time, the school will review any Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans to determine the school’s ability to serve an individual student and ensure they will thrive and be successful. Working within all applicable laws, regulations, and the guidance of its authorizer, ACA’s IEP team will determine students’ needs including the setting in which the school will provide the required services and will communicate this determination to parents as required by law and regulation.

Q: What is classical education?

The underlying philosophy of a good classical school differs from how most other schools are educated today.

Read our page on classical education and our content-rich curriculum.

Q: What are the core elements of the academic program?

Ascent Classical™ Academy takes a classical, liberal arts approach to educating young people, as described above. Other key elements of the academic program include:

Core Knowledge sequence in grades K-8;
Riggs, an explicit phonics approach to literacy. The school also requires a mastery of spelling and proper grammar as well as good handwriting and cursive;
Singapore Math;
Highly engaging, direct, teacher led instruction with increased use of Socratic techniques as students progress through the school;
Primary source documents used to the maximum extent possible.

Q: Will Ascent Classical™ Academy require teachers to be licensed?

All Ascent Classical™ Academy teachers will be highly qualified.

Ascent Classical™ Academy will hire the most highly qualified teachers for our classrooms and seek out content experts.

After involved parents, it’s known that highly effective teachers, using an excellent, proven curriculum in the classroom, have the greatest impact on student success. Ascent Classical™ Academy seeks staff with expertise in their content area and the best teachers for each position may or may not be licensed teachers.