General
We hold to this definition from the Education Department of Hillsdale College:
Classical education is the pursuit of human happiness through the cultivation of moral and intellectual virtue by means of a rich and rigorous course of study in the arts, sciences, and humanities, yielding informed self-government and a well-ordered understanding of the world and human nature.
You can also watch this cartoon from Classical Academic Press.
Everyday Life at Cedar
Yes! We think that outdoor recess is important for children and carve out time for it every day. Grades K-6 get an extra morning outdoor recess three days per week.
Tuition
Our Board sets tuition annually in mid-January after determining the next year's expenses. See this year's tuition rates here.
Most schools in our state, public or private, spend around $13,000 per student per year. As a private school, we receive no public funding, but count on private charitable donations and tuition to cover all our expenses. We are working hard to make tuition affordable for parents by 1) seeking to operate as economically as possible while not compromising our mission, and 2) raising funds from outside individuals and organizations who are eager see our mission go forward.
We think that this education is worth great cost and financial sacrifice, and see tuition money as an expression of solidarity in choosing something different for our children. We have written a blog post on that here.
While we view the financial commitment of tuition as something that will strengthen our school community, our hope is that tuition will never be a barrier that prevents like-minded families from joining us. Discounts are offered for paying in full and enrolling multiple children. Additionally, parents may apply to be considered for tuition assistance through a third-party company for a small fee. The third-party assessment takes into account the household's whole financial picture, and returns a tuition level that the family can reasonably afford to pay. When the assessment is completed, we will do our best to provide financial assistance (through private donors) bringing tuition down to the affordable figure. Our families are also encouraged to ask their own personal contacts to consider donating to the school's tuition assistance fund or directly toward their child's tuition costs. For more about our financial plan, see https://cedarclassicalacademy.org/give/.