Our Story
In the late 1980s, Hillsdale College began preparations to expand outside of collegiate education, desiring to establish a local school that would serve the community, embody the College’s mission, and provide an exemplary “model for America.” With this vision, the College founded Hillsdale Academy in 1990, opening its doors to 45 students on August 27th of that year.
In its early years, Hillsdale Academy offered an education to students in kindergarten through eighth grade and was housed in portable classrooms on Barber Drive behind the College’s athletic facilities. Class sizes were small and composed of two grades per room, and the foundation for a traditional, “back to basics” education model was solidified. On May 16, 1997, Hillsdale Academy broke ground on its permanent building on the southeast corner of the Hillsdale College campus, overlooking Winona Lake. The new building opened in 1998 and was dedicated that fall on October 9th. With the opening of the new school building, Hillsdale Academy expanded to include high school students, starting with ninth and tenth grades in its first year. In 2001, the Academy graduated its inaugural class.
Starting in the fall of 2020, growth at the Academy required expansion to one grade per classroom. Continued growth and a consistent pursuit of its founding principles led the College to consider how to support more students from the local community and provide additional courses that would enrich its robust curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences. In August of 2024, Hillsdale Academy opened a new wing, ushering in an expansion of Grades 9-12 to two sections and adding an expanded atrium, six classrooms, and a dedicated music room. Since its founding, Hillsdale Academy has been served by eight Headmasters, has grown in enrollment to more than 300 students, and has graduated nearly 400 seniors.
Over the decades, the Academy has provided resources to thousands of schools who are aligned with our mission and has worked closely with Hillsdale College to prepare the next generation of teachers and administrators. Each semester, undergraduate students in the College’s classical education program participate in the life of the Academy as part of their apprenticeship course. These apprentices shadow Academy faculty, observing our robust curriculum and classical pedagogy. Additionally, graduate students from the Masters of Classical Education and the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship interested in becoming future school leaders serve as graduate research assistants. These students are apprenticed by Academy staff and faculty and gain valuable experience and insights into school leadership. Thus, Hillsdale Academy has a profound educational impact on the lives of its students and in classical schools across the country.
As part of Hillsdale College’s K-12 Initiative, the Academy continues to support the classical education movement around the country as Hillsdale College’s flagship school. The Hillsdale K-12 Education Office is a project of Hillsdale College devoted to the education of young Americans. For more information on Hillsdale K-12 Education, visit k12.hillsdale.edu.