An American Classical K-12 Education
      Delivered in a Christian Setting

What Is a Hillsdale American Classical K-12 Education?

Hillsdale Classical K-12 schools feature a broad and deep Liberal Arts and Sciences curriculum and employ methods and materials traditionally associated with an excellent education both in America and in Europe. As the term “Liberal” indicates, a Classical Liberal Arts education is aimed at freeing persons from ignorance, prejudices, and vices by replacing these with knowledge, collective wisdom, skills, and virtuous habits, which are requisites for the cultivation and preservation of human liberty and for the pursuit of a life well lived. In the Constitutional Republic, whose continuance depends upon the vigilance and dedication of a wise and virtuous citizenry, such an education is not merely desirable for the individual; it is necessary for the preservation of human civilization. 

Hillsdale College

The Hillsdale Classical Liberal Arts and Science curriculum is distinctive in its impressive scope, sequence, and intellectual rigor. But Hillsdale schools are equally distinguished by their classroom culture and teaching methodologies. In our teacher-led, device-free classrooms, we are not only concerned with exploring the great works, ideas, characters, and developments of Western Civilization, but we also give sustained attention to the practice of virtuous habits, to the fostering of respect and friendship, and to the enrichment and development of the moral imagination. We refer to this in our tagline: Train the Mind, Improve the Heart, Nurture the Spirit.

At every stage in a Hillsdale school, children will be encountering true, good, and beautiful realities in nature and in primary sources: Classic books and documents that tell us the story of human beings and the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of human civilization. 

The best guides for the quest to know what is true, love what is beautiful, and do what is good are the great works of art, music, literature, philosophy, mathematics, and sciences that have withstood the test of time. These, taught in a historical timeline, help us discover where we came from, who we are, and how we ought to live.  

As with most Classical schools. Hillsdale’s balanced, content-rich curriculum works in concert with the natural stages of childhood development as they unfold. These three stages roughly correspond to Grammar school, Middle School, and Upper School. Penn Woods will begin with a Grammar School (K-6) and offer its own Preschool program as well. We intend to expand by a year each year to grade 12. 

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In the Grammar School years, children will:

  • Learn and master the fundamental facts, skills, and governing rules of reading, writing, and mathematics so they can freely explore what is true, good, and beautiful in the world around them. 
  • Have daily exposure to beautiful Music and the Fine Arts, Physical Education, and Latin, which often complement the content they are learning in their Literature and History classes.
  • Discover and practice what it means to be a friend, patient, respectful, and just.
  • Study subjects presented in historical sequence and integrated such that a child may be studying the Civil War in History, reading and memorizing a speech by Frederick Douglass in Literature, making a line drawing of Lincoln’s profile in Art, and learning poems and songs which were sung on the battlefield.
  • Have their minds, hearts, and moral imagination engaged by this approach, helping them picture, feel, describe, and understand their own nature and the world around them. 
  • Revisit the same periods in history every three years to take a deeper dive in each subject.
  • Acquire virtuous habits such that virtue will become a kind of “second nature,” freeing them to know what is true and good, desire it, and do it. This process of moral formation provides an excellent foundation for Middle School.

In the Middle and Upper School years, children will:

  • Continue to acquire a tremendous amount of knowledge while studying great works of Literature and History, Mathematics, Philosophy, the Natural Sciences, the Fine Arts, P.E., and Latin.
  • Begin to engage more with big ideas and the perennial human questions and themes.
  • Study the natural order, apply reason, and explicitly discover the rules of logic and how to use and respect them.
  • Begin to move past summarization and toward original thinking about works studied.
  • Continue to study the origins of America, its founding documents and history, triumphs and tragedies alike.
  • Learn to articulate one’s position logically, skillfully, and persuasively.
  • Come to understand friendship and citizenship.
  • Grow in self-knowledge and self-discipline.
  • Begin to think in “big picture” terms as horizons expand exponentially.
  • Know how to be a sincere, trustworthy, loyal, generous friend and leader.
  • Find their voice with a proper measure of humility.

 Why offer the Hillsdale Classical Curriculum in a Christian Setting?

The Founding Board of PWCA partnered with Hillsdale because of its uniquely excellent curriculum, ordered to Truth, Goodness, Beauty, Wisdom, and Virtue and its invaluable expert training for Faculty, Boards, and Heads of School. However, we felt that it would be best delivered within an explicitly Christian setting because, as believers, we know that it is the Triune God Himself who unites the Good, the True, and the Beautiful and Who is the very source of these transcendent realities. We know too that while human wisdom is of great value, God’s wisdom and ways exceed all human wisdom and understanding and His Living Word is more precious to man than anything else. It is, indeed, the Path of Life and true source of freedom.

We believe that aside from creating us and giving us His Creation, which manifests His truth and glory, God has given us Himself. Why would we not wish to share this powerful truth with the children who come to PWCA? We are determined, then, to be an interdenominational Christian School.

As an ecumenical group of founders, we also agreed that by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians must work together for God’s glory and for the expansion of his Kingdom. We fully recognize that there are significant divisions within Christianity, but we are convinced it’s yet possible to respect this fact yet still build a vibrant and holy interdenominational Christian community by faithfully turning to Christ in prayer and worship, centered on His Word. We, therefore, entrust ourselves and our school to His providential and merciful love.  

What Do We Mean by a Christian Setting?

First and foremost, the culture of a school is set by its Head, Faculty, and Families. Here at PWCA, our Head of School answers to a higher Head: God. We expect that our Faculty do as well. We promise to foster the faith of our staff and Board so that they can bring the joy and wisdom that comes from being a follower of Jesus Christ to your children in the classroom every day, all day. Secondly, our faculty will be working diligently to connect academic content to Biblical principles and to God’s truth as revealed to us in Holy Scripture. We will also promise that your children will:

A cheerful young girl in a blue school uniform sits at her desk in a bright and lively classroom, surrounded by classmates engaged in their studies. She smiles at the camera while holding a pen, with an open book and stationery on her desk, reflecting an atmosphere of active learning.
  • Engage in daily prayer and weekly scripture reflection, memorization, and recitation.
  • Encounter the masterworks of Christian Art, Music, and Literature.
  • Acquire biblical literacy in the course of their years here.
  • Be taught a biblically based anthropology which reveals that Man is fallen and in need of salvation by God’s grace, through the blood of the cross, and to point out where man continually fails to remember His need for and dependence on the Grace of Christ.
  • Understand that Reality is given by God and not created by Man and that Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are transcendental realities rather than matters of preference.
  • Have periodic opportunities for public worship together as families.
  • Be surrounded by adults who model Christian faith, hope, and charity and reverence each other as made in the image and likeness of God.
  • Discover themselves as beloved by the Father and called into a saving and loving relationship with Him.
  • Engage in and acquire the daily habit of prayer and a posture of gratitude, humility, and wonder.
  • Have teachers who look for opportunities to see God at work even while teaching secular works.
  • Feel welcome in our interdenominational Christian environment where students, families, and faculty can grow together in their walk with Christ.

Throughout the years, emphasis will be placed on growing in relationship to Christ and maturing as disciples. This growth will be fostered by the witness and example of faculty and administration, by experiences of individual and communal prayer and worship, the study of scripture, and the formation of intentional Christian friendship and community among students and families.

Our Commitment

Our graduates will possess a well-rounded Liberal Arts and Sciences education grounded in the best intellectual, moral, and spiritual contributions of Western Civilization. They will be self-governing, well-reasoned, articulate, and respectful men and women who are biblically literate, lifelong learners who thirst for truth, love what is good, and admire what is beautiful. They will be confident, humble Christian Disciples who are servant-leaders of their families, churches, and wider communities, as well as noble custodians of civic liberty and justice. As a Classical Christian Hillsdale College Candidate Member school, PWCA commits to:

  • Provide a Christ-centered environment. 
  • Hire committed, practicing Christian teachers who will model discipleship.
  • Offțer ample opportunity for prayer, worship, and growing biblical literacy.
  • Strive to grow a vibrant, interdenominational Christian community.
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INQUIRE NOW FOR 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR ENROLLMENT DETAILS

PWCA is offering Preschool- 6th for the 2025-26 school year with plans to expand by adding a grade each year to 12th. In December, families may submit their admissions application for 2025-26 school year enrollment via our FACTS web application.

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