Westminster Academy, located in Richmond’s West End, was designed from its inception in 1995 to meet the growing academic needs of older homeschoolers while maintaining a high degree of parental involvement. Founded on Christian principles, the Academy adheres to a parent-based philosophy that ensures parents remain in control of their children’s education while striving to provide the highest possible level of academic quality. These three principles – Christ-centered focus, parental-management, and academic quality – form the foundation of Westminster Academy.
An important characteristic of a parent-based environment is the limited frequency of classes, which minimizes time away from home. Westminster’s class schedule is based on a college model, with classes meeting 2 to 3 times per week. Classes are augmented by substantial at-home assignments – both homework and tasks involving parents. This format is very similar to a university setting where professors lecture 2 to 3 times per week and then rely on outside work to cover additional material. Students in this environment develop excellent independent study skills, which helps prepare them for college.Parent-based academic institutions allow students to take one class or many classes, providing a high degree of parental influence over educational content. As managers of their children’s education, Westminster parents have numerous options available to them -- taking one or many classes at the Academy; teaching one or more classes at home; or contracting with one of many outside providers. Parents can tailor a unique educational strategy for each child. For example, a student could start out taking one or two enrichment classes in elementary school and slowly increase to a full load as he nears graduation.
Westminster is a Christian Academic institution with all teachers and families ascribing to a common, interdenominational statement of faith. Classes are taught from a Christian worldview and teachers and administrators encourage students to be developing virtuous character qualities. By ensuring that teachers and parents are in general agreement regarding developmental objectives, children can develop a consistent worldview. In many institutional school settings, Christian children must constantly struggle with conflicting values – those learned at home and church, those taught by the school, and those taught by a diverse subculture of peers.
