There Has to Be Something Better: Why We Chose Classical Christian Education

The Collapse of Public Education — And a Father’s Search for Something Better

A few years ago, as a father of two—now ages 11 and 6—I started paying closer attention to what was happening in our public schools. What I saw troubled me. Like many parents, I wanted more than just decent test scores and good intentions. I wanted my children to grow up grounded in truth, shaped by virtue, and trained to think clearly in a confusing world.

So I started exploring. Homeschooling was on the table. We visited several private Christian schools. We weighed every option. But one thing became increasingly clear: the public school system, as it stands today, is not just underperforming—it’s unraveling.

Over the past several decades, American public education has become a paradox of modern progress. Budgets have ballooned—per-pupil spending has nearly tripled since 1970, with many districts spending over $15,000 per student annually. And yet, the results are worse than ever.

In 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress recorded the steepest decline in reading scores for nine-year-olds since the test began. Math scores also plummeted. And by 2024, things hadn’t improved. Despite record federal aid during and after the pandemic, fourth and eighth graders continued to slide in both subjects.

It’s more than just academic slippage—it’s a systemic failure.

Instead of doubling down on real learning, many schools have drifted from their core mission. Academic rigor has been replaced with social-emotional learning, controversial ideologies, and bureaucratic mandates. Critical thinking and moral formation have taken a back seat.

And to mask the crisis, standards are being lowered.

Grade inflation is rampant. According to ACT, even students in the 25th percentile average GPAs above 3.0. Social promotion pushes students forward whether they’ve mastered the material or not. In the name of “equity,” deadlines and accountability are disappearing.

The result? Students graduate with higher grades but less preparation—for college, for work, and for life.

That’s not just a failure. It’s a deliberate shift.

As Thomas Sowell once said, “The public schools are not failing. They are succeeding in doing what they are now trying to do.” In other words, this decline isn’t an accident—it’s the outcome of new priorities.

Christian educator Douglas Wilson put it even more directly: “You cannot Christianize a government school. It is a pagan institution by design.”

That stuck with me. Because as I looked more closely at curriculum, policies, and classroom culture, I saw what he meant. The public school system isn’t neutral. It’s actively reshaping how kids think about identity, morality, truth, and authority—and too often, that vision runs straight against Scripture and common sense.

So I kept searching.

Eventually, that journey led me to Northern Colorado Christian Academy—a school that’s not just reacting to the problem but offering a deep and lasting alternative.

A Quiet Exodus — And a New Direction for Our Family

As I looked deeper into what was happening in public schools, I realized something else: I wasn’t the only parent asking these questions. Across the country, families were reaching the same conclusion—that the system isn’t going to fix itself.

Many weren’t waiting for reform. They were walking away.

Some turned to homeschooling. In fact, between 2019 and 2021, the number of U.S. households choosing to homeschool doubled—from 5.4% to over 11%. In states like Texas and Florida, the numbers were even higher. Families gave different reasons: safety, curriculum, values. But the common thread was clear—parents were reclaiming their God-given responsibility to shape their children’s minds and hearts.

Others turned to Christian education. Schools that had once struggled were now full—with waitlists. Not because they offered better test prep or newer buildings, but because they still believed in truth. These schools didn’t just teach math and reading—they taught virtue, order, and faith.

For us, that journey eventually led to Northern Colorado Christian Academy—a school rooted in the Christian Classical tradition and committed to forming students who are wise, courageous, and anchored in Christ.

But this movement is about more than one school. It’s part of something much bigger.

Recovering Wisdom — Discovering the Power of Christian Classical Education

The first time I read Dorothy Sayers’ The Lost Tools of Learning, it felt like someone had put words to what I was feeling. Modern education, she argued, was producing students who could recite facts, but not reason. Who could pass tests, but not pursue truth. She called for a return to the trivium—a time-tested method that trains students in grammar, logic, and rhetoric—and sparked a quiet revolution.

That revolution is now called Christian Classical Education. And it’s not a trend. It’s a recovery.

It’s a recovery of an older, wiser understanding of what education is for—not just to get into college, but to become fully human. To love what is good. To think clearly. To live faithfully.

At its core, classical education sees every subject—math, literature, science, language—not as disconnected content, but as part of God's created order. Students don’t just gain information. They gain understanding. And they don’t just grow in knowledge—they grow in virtue.

One of the most powerful tools in this approach is Latin. It’s not about being old-fashioned—it’s about formation. Latin trains the mind in attention, accuracy, and discipline. It strengthens grammar, boosts vocabulary, and opens up the great texts of our Christian and Western heritage.

Educators like Cheryl Lowe of Memoria Press believed Latin should be the cornerstone of every classical education. And when I saw how it worked—how students who studied Latin became sharper thinkers and clearer writers—I understood why.

At schools like Highlands Latin and its many affiliates, students don’t just learn. They are shaped—by Scripture, by logic, by beauty, and by truth.

This is the kind of education I wanted for my children.

And it’s why I teach where I do. At Northern Colorado Christian Academy, we don’t just check academic boxes—we pursue wisdom, virtue, and Christ-centered formation. We are part of something bigger than ourselves—a renewal that’s reaching homes, churches, and communities across the country.

More Than an Option — A Return to First Principles

Christian Classical Education isn’t just a better alternative. It’s a bold, philosophical refutation of everything modern education has become.

Today’s public schools are built on the assumption that children are morally neutral—blank slates to be molded by experts, shaped by social agendas, and prepared for a life of compliance. Truth has been replaced with opinion. Virtue has been replaced with self-expression. Education has become a tool of the state rather than a training ground for wisdom and freedom.

But Christian Classical Education begins somewhere else.

It begins with the truth that children are made in the image of God. That they are not neutral, but fallen. Not empty, but full of potential. Not to be programmed, but to be discipled.

That’s why this movement doesn’t just offer different curriculum—it offers a different purpose.

The trivium isn’t just a teaching method. It’s a roadmap for human development:

• Grammar gives students the tools of language and learning.

• Logic teaches them to reason, argue, and discern.

• Rhetoric trains them to speak truth with clarity and grace.

And when all of this is done under the lordship of Christ, education becomes what it was always meant to be: the formation of a soul.

Dorothy Sayers warned us that modern education was producing a generation unable to think. We’re living in the aftermath of that warning. But we’re also seeing a quiet revolution take root—one classroom, one family, one student at a time.

This isn’t a retreat from culture. It’s the rebuilding of it.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you’ve ever looked at the state of modern education and thought, There has to be something better—you’re not alone. I’ve been there too.

I’m a father of two. I’ve explored homeschooling, toured other Christian schools, and wrestled through the same questions many of you are asking right now. That’s why I’m now teaching at Northern Colorado Christian Academy in Eaton, Colorado—a school that’s committed to forming minds and shaping hearts through Christian Classical Education.

Here, we don’t just teach subjects. We cultivate wisdom, train virtue, and anchor everything we do in the truth of Christ.

We’re accredited by the Classical Latin School Association (CLSA) and part of a growing movement that’s recovering the lost purpose of education. We teach students to think clearly, reason biblically, and live faithfully—not just for college or careers, but for life.

If you’re homeschooling, exploring private options, or just curious about this model, I’d love to invite you to visit.

• Sit in on a class.

• Meet our teachers.

• Ask your hardest questions. 

Come and see what a different kind of education looks like.

Helpful Starting Points 📘 Memoria Press — Trusted classical Christian curriculum built on the liberal arts and the great books. 🖋 The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy Sayers — The essay that helped spark the modern classical renewal. 📬 Reach Out — Let’s have a conversation. You’re not alone in this journey, and I’d be glad to walk it with you.

We’re not just raising test scores. We’re raising a generation—one that knows truth, lives with courage, and is ready to stand firm in a confused world.

Let’s recover what we’ve lost—and give our children an education worthy of their calling.