Academic Program

A traditional, classical liberal arts education for all

Hillsdale Academy offers a traditional, classical liberal arts education for all of our students. This includes phonics and cursive in the younger grades, Latin in grades 3-12, and history, literature, mathematics, science, fine arts, and physical education throughout all grade levels.

Older students also have a number of elective options in languages, music, and art. Students in 11th and 12th grade may apply to enroll in courses at Hillsdale College and earn college credit for their work. All seniors complete two capstone projects, one in science and one in the humanities.

Educational Philosophy

Hillsdale Academy believes that the education of children is a fundamental right and responsibility of parents. We also believe that an education with the goal of cultivating virtue and wisdom in students is necessary for their self-government and for a just and free society. Our motto, Virtus et Sapientia (Virtue and Wisdom), encapsulates our belief that by training students in the theological, moral, intellectual, and civic virtues, we are equipping them to live well-ordered lives as human beings and as citizens.

To these ends, we partner with parents to provide their children with an academically excellent classical Christian education that nurtures students’ spirits, minds, and bodies. Grounded in our Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman heritage, our curriculum reflects the best spiritual, intellectual, and cultural traditions that have been developed, refined, and handed down to us by countless generations.

Through a study of the liberal arts and sciences, students develop the habits, dispositions, and skills that will enable them to live well and to continue learning for the rest of their lives.

Our faculty lead students on the journey of learning by serving as role models who are lifelong learners themselves, people of character, and masters of the craft of teaching.

Faith & Community

As a part of Hillsdale College, the Academy is a nonsectarian Christian institution that recognizes the central role of religious instruction in a liberal arts education. Like the College, we maintain and teach, by precept and example, the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith. While the Academy holds fast to these commitments, as an institution we do not have a particular sectarian identity. We do not have a statement of faith, and we welcome families regardless of their faith tradition.

Every morning at the beginning of the school day, Hillsdale Academy students come together as a community for opening ceremony. This ceremony includes the Lord’s Prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and student recitations. We gather again at lunch and offer a corporate prayer before sharing the meal together. Each Wednesday morning the entire student body comes together for a chapel service led by the Academy headmaster and the Hillsdale College chaplain.

As students learn about the nature of the universe and themselves through study of the various disciplines, they inevitably confront deep questions about faith. Our teachers welcome these discussions and embrace their role as spiritual mentors to our students. Together, students and teachers explore how the greatest minds, from St. Augustine to C. S. Lewis, understood Christianity and viewed faith as an essential part of who we are as individuals and as members of the human community.

Students with hands over hearts during the national anthem.

Professor working with students in a science class.

Joining the great conversation

We invite our students into a conversation that is thousands of years old about what kind of place the world is, what kind of beings we are, and how we can live to the fullest of our nature within this world we have been given. These are the questions that guide our study of history, literature, math, science, languages, and fine arts.

2023 SUMMER READING LIST

College Readiness and Placement

At Hillsdale Academy, we equip students to continue their academic journey once they leave our school. In grades K-8, students take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills each spring. For the past 20 years, the Academy has placed consistently in the 97th-99th percentile in national school norms. At the high school level, students’ standardized test scores are significantly above state and national averages.

Since the first graduating class in 2001, 1 out of 6 Academy seniors has been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Fifteen percent of seniors have been recognized as National Merit Finalists – an honor that nationwide less than 1% of high school seniors receive.

In 2022 Hillsdale Academy was ranked as the #11 school in the nation on the Classic Learning Test’s list of “2022 Top High Schools” by median CLT score.

Since 2001, Hillsdale Academy graduates have been accepted to over 300 colleges, universities, graduate or professional schools, and military academies. Recent graduates have attended the following:

Adrian College
Albion College
Alma College
Aquinas College
Ashland University
Auburn University
Baylor University
Bellarmine University
Benedictine College
Bethel University
Biola University
Capital University
Carthage College
Catholic University of America
Cedarville University
Central Michigan University
Centre College
Claremont Graduate School
Cornell University
Drexel University
Emory University
Franciscan University
Gordon-Conwell Seminary
Grace College
Grand Valley State University
Harmel Academy of the Trades
Harvard Divinity School
Hillsdale College
Huntington University
Indiana University
Jackson College
John Marshall Law School
Kellogg Community College
Maine Media College
Marymount University
Michigan State University
Northern Michigan University
Ohio State University
Quinnipiac University
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Siena Heights University
Spring Arbor University
Taylor University
Trine University
Union University
United States Air Force Academy
United States Coast Guard Academy
University of Chicago
University of Dallas
University of Detroit-Mercy
University of Findlay
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Oklahoma
University of Tampa
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Valparaiso University
Vanderbilt University
Washington University-St. Louis
Webb Institute
Western Michigan University

Since 2001

1/6

1 out of 6 Academy seniors has been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation

15%

15% of seniors have been recognized as National Merit Finalists – an honor that nationwide less than 1% of high school seniors receive.

#11

Hillsdale Academy was ranked as the #11 school in the nation on the list of “2022 Top High Schools”

Fine Arts

The fine arts play a central role in a Hillsdale Academy education. Studying visual art, music, and drama helps our students to make sense of the world just as the study of history, literature, math, science, or languages does.

Through studying the fine arts, our students learn to recognize beauty, order, and harmony in the world around them; they gain a deeper respect for the artistry of their Creator; and they learn how to express truth, goodness, and beauty themselves through a variety of artistic media. Through their study of the fine arts, students thus deepen their understanding of what it means to be fully human and become better equipped to live their lives to the fullest.

All Academy students take classes in music and visual art as part of the regular academic program, and we also offer drama, chamber choir, and orchestra. Advanced musicians can participate in the Hillsdale College choir and orchestra programs as well.