Frequently Asked Questions

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 will the high school contain?
Beginning this fall, we are recruiting 40 students for the freshmen class that will graduate in 2012. We will add a subsequent grade every following year.

Will Hope Academy High School students wear uniforms?
Students will dress professionally in a way that reflects the serious work that we are doing together. A committee of parents, students, and faculty have made the final recommendation for the school uniform.

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 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 will Hope Academy High School meet?
We already have 14 furnished classrooms (including a science lab) ready to occupy on the second floor of our building on 2300 Chicago Ave. S.

What kind of curriculum will you use?
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). For further detail about our curricular approach, you may visit the school or attend an open house.

Will 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. Students will compete in a ninth grade schedule during the first year. We plan to offer boys football, basketball, and track and girls volleyball, basketball, and track.

We also will offer extracurricular groups and clubs such as Math Team, Debate, etc.

What will tuition costs be at Hope Academy High School?
The family 'fair share' amount for the High School is based on a sliding scale. With this scale, each family's total education expenses should not exceed 10% of gross income. The minimum tuition is $60/month.

What size classes do you envision?
Each grade at Hope Academy High School will be limited to 40 students--but the size of each academic classroom will remain at 20 or less.

What will the daily schedule look like?
We anticipate the high school starting at 8:00am and finishing at 2:30pm when a two hour extra-curricular period will begin. Students will be dismissed at 4:30pm.

We there be transportation provided?
Transportation will be provided free of charge for Minneapolis residents, and possibly for students outside of Minneapolis willing to attend pick-up points.

Have you explored the idea of a charter school?
Currently charter schools must be non-sectarian in nature. Our vision for Hope Academy is to provide an explicitly God-saturated education that would disquality us for receiving government funds.