Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge. (1 Timothy 6:20b)
Welcome & Overview
Vision: To help simplify the creation of small church schools that will give young people a far better and more well-rounded education than what they receive in failing public schools.
Why? Public schools fail our young people in many ways. The system as a whole has a humanistic, anti-God worldview, which is damaging to young minds. At the same time, many public schools do a poor job of teaching critical thinking and practical life skills, and Too many students graduate while struggling to read. Statistics such as graduation rates and accreditation labels are often used to make things appear better than they really are.
What? This is a grassroots movement started by a teacher with a background in inner-city public education. The primary goal is to help young people in poorer areas (such as rural or inner-city areas) to receive a better education in a better environment, compared to public schools. TruthLight Academies are intended to be small schools lead by caring, godly adults, located within church buildings and operated at a very low cost, to make better education freely accessible to everyone.
Who? Those who have the opportunity to attend a Christian school or homeschool should thank God for that blessing and take advantage of it. Unfortunately, the reality for many kids and teens, especially in inner-city or rural areas, is that they have no realistic option besides public school--and the government and teachers' unions sometimes make it difficult to escape. For those students, TruthLight Academies are intended to be a far better option.
How much? This is a grassroots movement--not an organization that is seeking money. There are no fees. This website simply exists as a guide to help you get started. The church should take care of expenses for utilities, insurance, school supplies, and meals for students. Be aware that some of these costs, especially meals, may cost more than you expect--but healthy meals are one of the most important things you can provide for your students. Hopefully, these expenses can be paid for from your church budget or from special offerings from members. If your church needs help with expenses, seek out donations from businesses and organizations in your community.
Is this legal? Thankfully, most states have surprisingly limited regulations for private schools. There are a handful of states where establishing this type of school may be difficult, but in the vast majority of states, establishing a private Christian school within an existing church building is actually fairly easy. Click here to learn more about the rules and regulations involved in starting a private school in your state!
What about accreditation? In most states, accreditation is not required. While the hope behind this movement is to provide a solid education for inner-city students, accreditation is an additional, significant expense that is unnecessary. Many quality private schools are not accredited, mainly due to the expense. In reality, the label "accredited" sounds more impressive than it actually is, because even accredited public schools may not provide a good education.
Suggested School Structure
Anyone in a leadership or teaching position must have professed faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and must live in a way that demonstrates a changed life and love for Jesus, because "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26b) and "a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" (Matthew 7:18).
Select a principal. This could be the church pastor, an elder or deacon, or any church member in good standing who is led of God to lead this endeavor. This person should be in charge of discipline situations and of attendance records. Due to compulsory attendance laws, daily attendance must be accurately recorded, and reported to your state as required.
Who can teach? Anyone who has a desire to work with and positively influence children and teenagers can teach. Regardless of impressive-sounding titles and college degrees, it is better for students to be taught by well-intentioned, godly men and women than by humanistic public school teachers who will work to indoctrinate children with an evolution-based, anti-God worldview. (While there are still some good public school teachers who do not fall into that category, they are definitely not in the majority.)
Choose teachers. Retired people often have much wisdom to pass along while also having the time to devote to this task. People who work unusual schedules, stay-at-home moms, parents of the students in your school, and anyone else who is willing and able can become a teacher or an aide at your school, even if only for one day per week.
A minimum of 1 teacher for every 8 students is recommended. For accountability and transparency in our modern-day culture, one student should never be alone with one teacher. Teachers and students should be allowed to keep their cell phones at all times to help prevent false accusations and to keep everyone accountable for their actions.
Who will handle other responsibilities? Adults and/or students may be given responsibility for other routine tasks such as cooking meals and cleaning the church building. Students can learn responsibility if they are assigned some of these tasks, as long as they are assigned fairly.
Split the school year into 4 nine-week quarters, and keep records of final grades for each quarter. This is especially important for high school students, who will be able to earn 7 credits each year (Bible, history, P.E., culture, science, math, and reading) plus any electives.
Suggested School Rules
Tip: Keep rules simple, straightforward, and unburdensome. It is generally better to have fewer rules than to have a lot of rules. You may choose to add or remove rules based on the needs of your particular school. A simple starting point is provided below.
Honor God and respect others in the way you speak and act.
Respect God and your body by staying away from harmful substances, risky activities, and immodest clothing.
Failure to adhere to these rules will result in a meeting with the principal and one or more teachers. Repeated violations could result in expulsion from this school. However, it is our hope to never expel any students but instead to help all students develop God-honoring behavior over time.
Click here for a printable version of these rules.
Click here for an editable Word document of these rules.
Books and Materials
With your basic structure in place, the next step is to order materials. Click on each of the "subject" tabs at the top of the page to view recommended textbooks for each subject area. You need to have a general idea of the number of students you expect so that you will know how many books to order.
Unable to Start a School?
While this website exists for the purpose of making it as simple and straightforward as possible to start a small Christian school, there will be some situations where it simply isn't possible.
Perhaps the money just isn't there, or there aren't enough people to properly operate a school. If you are in that situation, a good alternative plan is to start an after-school program or a summer program.
Depending on your state, there could be legal restrictions as well. Those restrictions would not apply to an after-school or summer program, which would operate just like any other church activity, outside of the regular public school day.
Suggested Structure
Leaders and rules should be developed in a similar manner as described within the previous tab, but the schedule will be shorter and more flexible.
For such a program, the best subjects to focus on are Bible, Culture (during lunch or snack time), and Science. These are the areas where students will gain the most, because those subjects are not taught properly (or at all) in public schools. Refer to those subject tabs for further details.
Providing students with meals and/or snacks that are healthy yet good-tasting is probably the best way to interest them in attending. Some of your students may not have easy access to well-rounded meals, and even for those who do, offering good food can be a motivating factor in helping students come regularly.
Books and Materials
The curriculum is up to you, but suggestions are provided below. (Generally, students can share book in pairs, so order 1 book for every 2 students in each grade.)
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
9th Grade
10th Grade
11th Grade
12th Grade
Bible
Grades 1-12 split into 2 groups, cycling through the Illuminate Bible curriculum
History
Grades 1-12 split into 3 groups, cycling through the History Revealed curriculum
Science
Grades 1-12 split into 2 or 3 groups, cycling through the Science Shepherd curriculum
This schedule is provided as a suggestion; you are free to create a different schedule if you prefer. However, especially if working in an inner-city area, keep in mind the unique needs of your students. Many have challenging family situations while others must work to help support their families. To allow for some students who may arrive late or who need to leave early, the core of instruction is given from 9:30 through 2:00, with flexible time for independent work before and after.
Generally, students in grades 3-11 will be together, learning at their own levels. Students in grade 12 will work independently on most subjects, and may also help lead and tutor other students, depending on the individual student's interests and abilities.
Suggested Schedule
8:30 - 9:30
Breakfast & Math, Reading, Electives
9:30 - 9:45
Praise & Prayer Time
9:45 - 10:30
Bible
10:30 - 11:15
History
11:15 - 12:00
P.E. / Games
12:00 - 12:30
Lunch
12:30 - 1:15
Current Issues
1:15 - 2:00
Science & Worldview
2:00 - 3:30
Math, Reading, Electives
Click here for a printable version of this schedule.
Click here for an editable Word document of this schedule.
Most states require a school year of 180 days. Be sure your school meets any requirements in your specific state.
Praise & Prayer Time
Before each day's Bible lesson begins, start with a brief time of praise and prayer. Sing a few songs together and lead the students in a time of prayer. You may even want to allow time for students to share personal testimonies.
Bible & History
Students in grades 1-12 will all learn together.
Students will take turns reading 1 verse/sentence at a time from the day's Bible passage/history lesson.
The pastor, principal, or a teacher should then lead a short discussion about the passage and answer any big questions that students may have.
After that, students should work individually or in small groups to answer the questions for their grade level in written form.
Be sure adults are available to help students who are having a hard time understanding any of the questions.
P.E.
Depending on the facilities that are available to you, allow students to play outside, in a gym, or in some other open area. If large areas are not available to you, find other activities that students can do in small spaces. Games can also be played on certain days, such as when it is raining.
Lunch
Although this may turn into a fairly significant portion of your ongoing expenses, providing students with a healthy yet good-tasting lunch is extremely important. Some of your students may not have easy access to well-rounded meals, and even for those who do, offering good food can be a motivating factor in helping students come to school regularly.
Teachers, parents, or another designated adult can take the lead in the kitchen. Any older students who have expressed an interest in cooking should be encouraged to help.
(Similarly, serving a quality breakfast each morning may also give students something to look forward to and could encourage them to get to school on time.)
Culture
All Students: There are no materials to order, but you do need the ability to show brief videos and news stories to your students.
After lunch, play 1 or 2 short videos (suggestions below) and lead a time of discussion.
Then, read 1 or 2 current news articles from Disrn and lead another time of discussion.
The purpose of this time is to help students better understand some of the current issues and debates in our culture.