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.

Student in front of a sheet of music.

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.

Student holding a bust of Michelangelo's David.
Student playing the violin.
Two students drinking tea in class.

Past Performances

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Anything Goes

Fiddler on the Roof

Guys and Dolls

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Matilda: The Musical

My Fair Lady

Oklahoma!

Peter Pan and Wendy

Romeo and Juliet

The Crucible

The Music Man

The Sound of Music

The Tempest

Twelfth Night

Student holding a stack of books and a calculator.

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A glimpse into academic life at Hillsdale Academy