About
Excellence in Classical Christian Education
Our Mission
In partnership with parents and guided by the Gospel, Excelsior Classical Christian Academy strives to educate children in the highest standards of the classical Christian tradition. Our goal is not only for them to become excellent citizens but, above all, to come to a saving knowledge of Christ through wisdom and the love of Our Lord, making them lifelong disciples of Christ for the glory of God and His Kingdom.
Small Classes
Class sizes are intentionally kept small (8-10 students) to ensure all students can engage in discussions. The small classrooms lend themselves to a private tutoring feel and students receive ample attention. This also lends itself to a one room schoolhouse, family-like, age integrated culture (similar to homeschooling). We have levels of subjects (such as Cursive 1 or Cursive 2) but they are not “age bound” (more on this below and in the next section).
Excelsior students are not “age” bound as is the problem in most private and public schools. As the parents and teachers agree and dictate, students will be studying with other students of varying ages (example: Latin is always a mixed class as some are just starting but others are progressing along). There is much benefit to age integration. The younger students look up to the older students and learn maturity, and it inspires leadership in the older students. It is how God made the family and the church. Even college is age integrated. Only in the public and private schools of America are 30 of the same age child all thrown in a classroom together despite their abilities and giftings. This is not so at Excelsior.
Hybrid / Homeschooling type Flexibility and Options
Excelsior Classical Christian Academy (ECCA) is a 4 day a week, K-12, private Christian School in Scottsdale Arizona. Our goal is to provide our students with a classical education of the highest quality and to create a private school which is a model of excellence in both academics and Christian character.
Excelsior maintains the rigor, structure, and daily support of a private classical school but also has the option of educating at home. Families have the flexibility to take days off to educate on their own (such as if they are traveling as a family together). We use award winning homeschool curriculum that supports parents if they are home educating during the school year. All assignments are listed for the entire year and the teacher manuals can be purchased and require no prior teaching knowledge in order for the parents to administer.
As space permits, our students from the homeschool co-op may attend Thursdays for an additional day of support (this is especially beneficial for Latin translation assignments).
Parents Play An Important Role
We value and prioritize the family. We believe that no one knows what is best for your student better than their parents. If parents decide that a student should be in advanced classes for some or all subjects, we lean heavily on the suggestion of the parents. Most of the time, the parents are correct in their determination. The classes at Excelsior always line up subject-by-subject so that students can bump up to a higher level or bump down to a lower level as needed for the student. It is not difficult to change a students’ level when a school is managed by subjects (similar to college) vs by age/grade.
Memberships and Accreditation
We are a partner member of two exceptional organizations: the Classical Latin School Association and the Association of Classical Christian Schools. Though not required in Arizona for private schools, we are in the process of becoming accredited through both.
