By Amanda Foust
Just down the road from Carmel High School, the largest public school in the state, a tiny private campus is using methods from the past to prepare students for the future.
Coram Deo Academy, which serves 106 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, relies on educational method called Seven Liberal Arts, which was developed in medieval times.
“It’s a very broad and rigorous curriculum,” Academic Dean Beth Fetters said. “We don’t call ourselves college prep because that’s not our goal, but our students are always ready.”
This curriculum, often referred to as a classical-Christian combination, is birthed from the middle ages when the church took in the educational practices of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Although this is not a typical approach to modern education, Coram Deo Academy has a 100 percent college acceptance rate.
“(Our curriculum) is old because it’s good,” Head of School Kent Welsh said. “The method has proven itself effective for thousands of years.”
Parent Jennifer Bates said the education her sixth grade daughter is receiving at the school is “incomparable.”
“The classical curriculum utilizes a time-tested model of education that teaches students in light of their stage of development,” Bates said. “It focuses on teaching logical thinking and training students to reason through and articulate their perspective on any issue. The curriculum is challenging and very rewarding.”
In addition to academics, the school offers various extra-curricular activities like choir, creative writing club, physical education and more. These activities provide diverse learning opportunities.
Coram Deo doesn’t spend money on advertising, because parents have been effective at promoting the school by word of mouth since it launched in 2007. The campus, at 651 W. Main St., draws students from Carmel, Zionsville, Noblesville, Fishers and Indianapolis.
The application process to be accepted at Coram Deo begins when parents make an inquiry and are given a packet explaining the classical-christian teaching approach. It’s important that the parents and school’s expectations align, school leaders believe, as student success depends on a partnership between the two.
“We make sure we are walking alongside the parents,” Welsh said. “They are responsible for educating their children, and they dedicate some of that to us.”
For more information, call 317-844-4224 or email [email protected]
