Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you not a charter school?
Currently charter schools must be non-sectarian in nature. Our vision for Hope Academy--in all grades--is to provide an explicitly God-saturated education that would disquality us for receiving government funds. For a more lengthy answer, we encourage you to read this article by Head of School Russ Gregg.

Why call the school Hope Academy?
We call it Hope Academy because we believe that education built on the foundation of Biblical truth is the only authentic hope for the future of the youth of the city. The name, "Hope," also expresses our passion to help urban youth to put their hope in God.

What grades does the high school contain?
Due to our intentionally small size, our middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) share our second floor--what we call our "upper school". In 2009-2010, we serve students in grades 9-10, and are adding a grade each year. By 2011-2012, we will have a complete 9-12 high school program.

Do Hope Academy Upper School students wear uniforms?
Yes. Students dress professionally in a way that reflects the serious work that we are doing together. Students in grades 9-12 wear the same uniform, while younger students wear different color uniforms.

Why is there a need for a Christian high school in the city?
Almost all of the Christ-centered schools in the city end at eighth grade. There is only one protestant evangelical high school currently located in the city, and its tuition costs are prohibitive for most inner-city families.

The solution is to rebuild our inner city programs on the unshakeable foundation of biblical truth. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). The Golden Rule implies that everything we want for our children, we should want for our neighbors in the city. It means we should believe for the children of the city the same things we believe for the children of the suburbs.

Where does Hope Academy High School meet?
Classes are held on the second floor of our school, where there are 14 furnished classrooms (including a science lab).

What kind of curriculum is used?
The guiding pedagogical vision is to provide the youth of the city with a rigorous, God-centered, classical education. Classical Christian education seeks to equip students with the basic tools of learning. It is based on the idea that in any subject there is a three-stage development of learning. Students must 1) know the basics of the subject (called grammar); 2) be able to reason clearly about it (logic); and 3) apply it in a creative, persuasive manner (rhetoric).

By classical, therefore, we mean primarily a classical pedagogical style, but we also are providing classical, Christian content.

For further detail about our curricular approach, we invite you to visit the school or attend an open house.

Does Hope Academy High School have sports and extracurricular programs?
We think it is important to learn how to compete in a God-honoring way, and so we will have an athletic program that will be open to all students who wish to participate. Depending on enrollment, we hope that boys may have the option of playing football, basketball, and baseball during the year, while we hope that girls can play volleyball, basketball, and softball.

We also offer extracurricular groups and clubs such as a Yearbook, Math Team, Sports Club, etc.

What are tuition costs for Hope Academy High School?
The family 'fair share' amount for the High School is based on the same sliding scale as for students in the lower school. With this scale, each family's total education expenses should not exceed 10% of gross income. The minimum tuition is $60/month. Learn more about tuition and fees here.

What size classes are there at Hope?
Each grade at Hope Academy High School is limited to no more than 25 students--but the size of each academic classroom will remain around 20 or less. Most classrooms currently are between 12-18 students.

What does the daily schedule look like?
The high school classes begin at 10:15am and finish at 4:20pm.

Is transportation provided?
Transportation is provided free of charge for students living within the Minneapolis city limits.