About Truth Academy

In 2008, Carla Groves, the Administrator of Truth Academy, felt called to start a school that would partner with parents who homeschooled their children. After praying to God for wisdom and leadership, Truth Academy, Inc. was formally incorporated in January of 2009. That same year, Truth Academy received recognition as a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation.

Because there are both advantages and disadvantages to home school education, Truth Academy, Inc. provides a Christian based setting that offers the advantages to home schooling while also removing or lessening the disadvantages to home schooling. This combination approach to learning has become known as "Hybrid Homeschooling" or a "Hybrid Homeschool."

There are a number of reasons why parents opt to home school their children including religious reasons, family reasons, concerns about the learning environment at public schools, and other issues. Home schooling allows children to become knowledgeable on a variety of learning subjects in a flexible environment while allowing parents to be more invested in their children's education.

While there are numerous advantages to home schooling, there are also challenges to home schooling. For instance, home schooling takes time and only the most dedicated parents can provide the proper amount of time for home schooling. The biggest time disadvantage associated with homeschooling is the time required to create the curriculum and lessons necessary to provide the home school student a proper education.

Another challenge frequently associated with home schooling is to ensure the development of social skills. Truth Academy, Inc. was started for the purpose of providing students the advantages of a home school education while successfully meeting the challenges of a home school education. Truth Academy is formed to offer an educational environment that enhances and fulfills Missouri's educational requirements.

Truth Academy started operating as a school in August of 2009. Truth Academy, Inc. has more than tripled in growth from 25 students and 6 teachers in 2009 to approximately 80 students and 19 teachers and assistants. Students meet from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays of each week. Classes are held at Macedonia Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, teachers educate students by discussing lessons and administering tests and quizzes on class days. Students are given homework grids which set forth assignments the students are responsible to complete during the time they are not meeting at the school.

The classes at Truth Academy start at kindergarten and go through 12th grade. The majority of teachers have an educational degree and all are passionate and committed to teaching. The topics range from essential elementary subjects to more advanced learning in the areas of: Math, History, Literature, Grammar, Science and Spanish. Art and Music are included in the well-rounded teaching at Truth Academy.

By holding formal classes on Monday and Wednesdays, the students are given the opportunity to develop their social skills that might not otherwise exist in a purely home school environment. Additionally, by having teachers provide homework grids that set forth the curriculum and assignments for the students, more time is freed up for the home school parent to assist his or her child with the teaching of the curriculum as opposed to having to spend so much time preparing the curriculum. By only meeting on two days a week, students still have the advantages of home schooling such as personalized schedules, various learning subjects, and flexibility.

Class sizes are smaller than those in traditional schools which allow the teachers to focus more on their individual students. Truth Academy limits class sizes to no more than 15 students per teacher. Teachers provide their telephone number and email address on each homework grid so that students, and or their parents, may contact the teachers for additional assistance.

The primary source of income for Truth Academy is the tuition charged to the parents of the students. The primary expense of Truth Academy is the costs for salaries of its teachers and the books for the teachers. Because the Academy is tuition-based, Truth Academy, Inc. can afford to hire qualified teachers to ensure that all of the educational needs of the students are being met. In keeping with her belief that she was called to provide a school, Carla does not take a salary for teaching or administering the operations of Truth Academy.

Truth Academy is a school. Truth Academy is not a home school cooperative. Unlike a cooperative, Truth Academy has the following characteristics of a school:

Truth Academy has a regularly scheduled curriculum;
Truth Academy has a regular faculty;
Truth Academy has a regular enrolled student body;
Truth Academy has a regular place where the educational activities are provided.

Because Truth Academy provides the benefits of home schooling with the benefits of a traditional school, Truth Academy meets the educational needs of the children of parents who prefer to home school their children.

Truth Academy's mission is to prepare and encourage our students to become lifelong learners and God-fearing citizens.To accomplish our mission, our goals are to:

Teach toward mastery of the basic skills
Encourage the love of reading and writing
Promote critical thinking and problem solving
Improve social skills
Instill the truth of the Word of God of which all learning and decisions are filtered

The Board of Education, administration, faculty and staff believe Truth Academy exists to prepare students to become productive, God-fearing citizens with a Christian world view. To achieve this, we believe that it is necessary for the administrator, teachers, students, and parents to take responsibility for each child's education. When school and home join together, students will develop intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually which allows them to become productive members of society.