About Us
“A society that wishes to be both ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, wants what never was, and never will be.” - Thomas Jefferson
Mission
Building upon the foundation of the Core Knowledge Sequence, Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy partners with families to educate students in grades K-12 in the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, thus graduating thoughtful, articulate young adults who are prepared for college and a lifetime of citizenship and active intellectual inquiry.
Overview
Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy is a public charter school in Rutherford County, North Carolina. Using the classical education model, we have been a college preparatory school option for our community for over twenty years. This model follows the Trivium, the three natural stages of human development involving Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.
At TJCA, we aim to impart knowledge to our students and equip them to think and learn for themselves for the rest of their lives. The Trivium does this by grounding students early on with the Grammar stage: during elementary and middle school, students use observation and memorization to master basic facts about history, literature, art, science, and mathematics. They are then ready for the Logic stage, starting in middle school and progressing into high school. Through the Socratic method, students build the skills of discursive reasoning, learning to form and defend sound arguments. In the Rhetoric stage (high school), students develop the ability to communicate persuasively; they express the knowledge and logic they have acquired through public speaking, culminating in a senior thesis presentation and defense. These three steps build on each other to produce well-rounded, thoughtful students who understand the purpose of education and are ready to learn independently.
In addition to the usual North Carolina standard courses, our classical curriculum requires two courses in Latin (with an emphasis on grammar), a logic course, a rhetoric course, and an art history course. Beyond academics, we offer an arts program for our many musicians, actors, and painters, and we have plenty of athletic opportunities ranging from football and soccer to basketball and tennis. Together, our students develop their scholastic abilities, creative talents, and physical skills to become well-developed and virtuous people.
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TJCA is a proud member of the
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“In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, sex, familial status, sexual orientation, and reprisal. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).”
To file a complaint of discrimination, write to:
USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410
Washington, DC 20250-9410
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410
Washington, DC 20250-9410
Or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”
Alma Mater
Thomas Jefferson, our Alma Mater,
Our noble guide, the beacon of our youth:
In your footsteps we gladly follow,
For in your hands you hold the torch of truth.
Thomas Jefferson, we’ll always love you,
And we’ll always love your burgundy and gold,
For we take with us your gift of knowledge,
And face the future courageous and bold.
Our noble guide, the beacon of our youth:
In your footsteps we gladly follow,
For in your hands you hold the torch of truth.
Thomas Jefferson, we’ll always love you,
And we’ll always love your burgundy and gold,
For we take with us your gift of knowledge,
And face the future courageous and bold.
