ABOUT ARCA
Who We Are
Our Mission
The mission of Ashley River Classical Academy is to train the minds and hearts of our students through a content-rich classical education in the liberal arts and sciences, with a focus on fostering moral character and civic virtue.
Our Vision
The goal of a young person’s education should be to train the mind and prepare the heart to make the best life possible for one’s self and others. We train our students to become self-governing thinkers and doers.
Our students will be adaptable, innovative,and creative in a changing world, but also understand that there are timeless principles worth preserving—principles that are good and true.We want to shape young people who are thoughtful, kind, and empathetic, but also decisive and proactive. We want our students to be moral, courageous, and faithful to their principles. Our graduates will enter the world as wise, virtuous, confident, and productive citizens, well positioned to lead happy lives and contribute to their communities.
Parents see their children grow in character and academic achievement, bringing joy to their homes and communities. Teachers engage students through dialog and a content-rich curriculum, fulfilling them in their vocations. Students develop dutiful habits of learning and moral formation, realizing their greatest potential through education.
About Us
Our classical model charter school, Ashley River Classical Academy, opens Fall 2025. ARCA is a tuition-free public charter school receiving academic support from the Hillsdale College K-12 program and is part of the American Classical Education schools. The official school location will be announced soon! For parents seeking a more challenging and inspirational school experience for their child, Ashley River Classical Academy is the perfect place.
Our Approach to Classical Education
ARCA approaches education as a partnership between parents and teachers for the sake of the students:
- Parents see their children grow in knowledge and virtue, bringing joy to their homes and communities.
- Talented teachers engage students through dialogue and a content-rich curriculum.
- Students develop lifelong habits of learning and sound moral formation, realizing their greatest potential through an education for the mind and the heart.
In a classical school, teachers lead students toward moral and intellectual virtue by means of a rich and robust course of study in the liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue.
Classical education is an education for its own sake.
Classical education teaches us to love learning first, and someone who loves to learn will do well academically.
Classical education is an education in the liberal arts.
By studying the liberal arts, we learn to read, write, think, and speak, and to understand our place in the world.
Classical education is well-rounded, not specialized.
Students in a classical school are given foundational knowledge that will serve them well no matter what they decide to do as adults.
Classical education is an education for both the mind and the heart.
Classical education must teach students why information—such as history timelines, multiplication tables, and the parts of a cell—matters and how to use it. More than that, we must work with parents to shape the moral imaginations of our students and teach them how to live well by practicing the virtues.
Classical education is the education the American founders received.
The well-rounded education of America’s founders equipped them to make important decisions in difficult circumstances, to understand the consequences of their actions over the long term, and to build through reason and speech a government that rests on eternal truths about human nature.
Now Hiring K-12 Teachers
ARCA is looking for teachers who have a solid understanding of classical education, a dedication to the liberal arts and the teaching of civics, and a strong capacity for organizational leadership.
