Crossroads Academy is an independent day school committed to academic and moral excellence. To promote academic excellence, we teach the skills and information embodied in the Core Knowledge Sequence. To promote moral excellence, we teach an understanding and an appreciation of the character traits found in the Core Virtues Program. We inspire in our students those academic and moral virtues conducive to a love of learning and a desire to act honorably.

Core Knowledge

As defined by E.D. Hirsch, Core Knowledge is a body of solid, shared, specific, and sequenced information most essential for literacy in contemporary American society. Core Knowledge consists of the essential concepts and facts in history, literature, geography, mathematics, and science. At Crossroads Academy, the curriculum is enriched with music, visual and performing arts, physical education, and foreign languages. We animate this body of knowledge with creative teaching and engaging projects, and use this to produce a curriculum in which essential skills in reading, writing, and mathematics are taught to mastery through direct instruction and a low student/teacher ratio. Our program includes academic, biblical and civics literacy and prepares our students to contribute fully to intellectual, cultural and democratic life.

Core Virtues

As defined by Mary Beth Klee, "Core Virtues" are those traits of character that define human moral goodness. Centered upon the four cardinal virtues of justice, wisdom, courage, and temperance as well as the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, this literature-based curriculum aims to capture the hearts and minds of our students. At Crossroads Academy, we strive to foster these character traits through discussions of the virtues, through illustrations of virtues in literature and history, through prayerful reflection, through community service, and through the ethos and tone of conduct in our school and playgrounds. Core Virtues are habits of the heart rather than a set of commandments, rules, or laws. At Crossroads Academy the teaching of these universally admired virtues is rooted in the Judeo-Christian traditions and in the ideals of American democratic citizenship.

Unity of Academic and Moral Virtues

We believe that virtues such as perseverance, intellectual honesty, and intellectual courage are both academic and moral virtues. At Crossroads Academy the Core Virtues create an ethos of responsibility and caring that fosters a disciplined, passionate, and cooperative pursuit of our program. As students master the content and practice the virtues, they gain, over time, an appreciation of who they are and who they aspire to be.