FAQ

We are dedicated to Christian education. Trinitas partners with Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant families to help students follow our Lord Jesus Christ. We simultaneously ground students in the fundamentals of faith and offer the opportunity to be in community with children and staff from different branches of Christianity. As an ecumenical school, we thank God for the faith and friendship we have in common, and we learn from our differences through respectful and charitable dialogue.

We begin each day with Morning Prayer. Three mornings per week, we meet as an entire school to read and reflect on a Psalm and a passage from one of the Gospels, pray the Lord’s Prayer, recite either the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed, and join in song with music that spans the whole history of Christianity. We host guests from various Christian traditions to speak to us about our Virtue of the Quarter. Parents and siblings are always welcome to join us for all-school Morning Prayer. Two mornings per week, students meet in their classrooms to share Scripture, examples of Christian living, and prayer requests and praises.

While we provide a challenging and robust academic environment, students of varying academic abilities can thrive at Trinitas. Accommodations and/or tutoring are sometimes available for students below grade level in a particular subject. Teachers may sometimes work with students, parents, and outside professionals as needed. Students entering Trinitas middle and high school should have a keen desire to learn, a strong work ethic, and be growing in independence and responsibility for their education.

We teach Latin because it provides a terrific educational foundation. More than fifty percent of English vocabulary is taken from Latin, and all the romance languages (Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc.) are based on it. Studying Latin requires a high level of grammar competency which translates well to subsequent language study. Students also gain valuable insight into the contributions of the Roman and Greek worlds (sculpture, architecture, sport, religious, and political life, etc.). Knowledge of Latin proves helpful in the sciences as well. And, according to the National Committee for Latin and Greek, the study of either of these languages can help student performance on college entrance exams. For example, high school students with two or more years of Latin typically score 140-160 points higher on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) than their Latinless peers. The College Board (publishers of the SAT) found that students with a background in Latin or Hebrew tied with higher scores in critical reading skills than students with a background in any other language. Studies conducted by the Educational Testing Service show similar results. Finally, we believe that just as vigorous exercise is good for the body, vigorous study is good for the brain.

Yes. We are happy to discuss a path for Latin language study for your particular student as this will depend on the student’s age, previous language study experience, and motivation.

That will depend to some degree on the child and his or her grade level, but we desire to strike a healthy balance. We are committed to robust academics and challenging our students, so there is homework. However, children are not mere minds, so we encourage students to pursue activities apart from academics and to spend time with their families and friends. Ideally, the amount of homework given should not prevent this.

Class sizes typically range from ten to twenty students.

Students taught in classical schools perform well on standardized tests, typically within the top 10-15% on national tests suchas the K-12 Stanford Achievement test and the college entrance Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). (See Andrew Kern and Gene Veith, Classical Education: Toward a Revival of American Schooling, p. 24.) From 2006-2019, Trinitas students took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. In 2021, we began administering the Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) developed by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) in grades 3-8. Trinitas students have consistently scored in the top 10% on both standardized tests.

Since our founding in 2006, Trinitas has provided an intentionally low-tech learning environment. Students are not allowed to use phones or other electronic personal devices at school, and learning takes place without the use of individual laptops or tablets. Our decision to be largely screen free is not just about helping students build their attention spans for academic achievement, it is more importantly about helping them build their ability to pay attention to God’s amazing, beautiful world and to “be present” with others. While the Trinitas high school learning environment continues to focus on books, in-person conversations, and physical experiences as the primary modes of education, we also provide an intentional program to mentor high school students in building technology skills and habits for living a God-honoring and fulfilling life in relationship to the digital world.

From its founding, Trinitas has been committed to excellence not only in the humanities, but also in math and hands-on science instruction. Our students are typically a grade ahead of their peers in math, and our graduates have pursued advanced tracks of study in both math and science; many of them have gone on to careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Our logic classes are also an excellent preparation for STEM since logic is the foundation of math, the scientific method, and computer programming. For more information, see our series of CCE Corner posts on STEM at Trinitas (they can be found in our Classical Parent Blog on our website).

In addition, our students develop strong Microsoft Word skills from their work in literature and composition class, and Trinitas high school students develop skills in programs such as Excel and PowerPoint and online research. Over our twenty years, we have found that our students pick up the additional technology skills they need and desire very quickly. We attribute their success in these areas, in part, to their capacity for “learning how to learn.”

With some extra work, the transition to Trinitas is often very successful. Classes such as Latin, grammar, and composition typically require an adjustment period and additional support which may include tutoring during the summer prior to starting at Trinitas. We are committed to shepherding students through this process of adjustment.

Yes! We welcome graduates from other K-8 schools. Various subject tests are part of the application process, and we may recommend or require summer course work and/or tutoring if needed. Various summer and fall events, including a backpacking trip, help build relationships and prepare current and incoming students for a successful transition to TCHS.

All Trinitas students have classes in physical education, music, and art. PE is held two times per week and includes motor lab, games, sports, and other physical fitness activities. Students have weekly music classes where they practice choral songs, explore instruments, and study music history and appreciation. Students perform in various programs throughout the school year. Weekly art classes teach technique, art appreciation, and art history. Students are provided explicit instruction and guided in imitation as well as encouraged in the expression of their individual creativity. Their artwork is on display during our annual Fine Arts Night.

Yes, and our teachers do too. We believe that uniforms are helpful for numerous reasons. In our experience, they contribute to a sense of community. They also help minimize the perception of socio-economic differences among students. Finally, uniforms help convey to students that there is a difference between being at school, on the one hand, and being at home or the neighborhood playground, on the other. And, we might add, we think our students and teachers look quite sharp in their uniforms. Renting blazers and ties and purchasing other uniform items from the Trinitas Uniform Closet can make uniforms quite affordable.

We do not currently offer hot lunches or busing. Students bring packed lunches from home. Students may participate in periodic community lunches with orders from restaurants like Chik-Fil-A. Many families choose to carpool with other families in their area. Often parents have found that drive time is a good time to connect with their child(ren). High school students with driver’s licenses may also drive to school.

School begins at 8:00 a.m. with Morning Prayer. Student arrival is between 7:40 a.m. and 7:55 a.m. The school day ends at 3:00 p.m. Students are dismissed from 3:00 p.m. until 3:15 p.m. After school childcare is available upon request Tuesday through Friday from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Reservations need to be made ahead of time.

Our school year begins after Labor Day and typically ends the first full week of June. Like most schools, we have short breaks for fall, Thanksgiving, and mid-winter. We have a two-week break at Christmas and a one-week spring break.

Trinitas Classical School is a member school of Christian Schools International (CSI) and the Society for Classical Learning (SCL). Our faculty regularly participate in professional development opportunities through SCL and our curriculum providers.

Our curriculum (e.g., primary sources and classic texts) and pedagogy (e.g., Socratic method, seminars, writing and rewriting) as well as our teacher/student mentoring relationships help to prepare students for college, trades training, and internships. Dual enrollment courses and tech center hours are intended to be taken as part of a Trinitas cohort. We believe beginning such work while still closely connected to the Trinitas high school community will prepare students exceptionally well for the transition to college or work after graduation.

A capstone project is a project chosen by the student in consultation with his or her teachers in an area of particular interest to the student. Projects may be academic or trades based. All projects will be supervised by a faculty advisor and involve extensive research and a final presentation shared with staff, family, and friends.

Please see our Extra and Co-curriculars sheets or Extra-Curriculars page on our website. There are many opportunities for Trinitas students to participate in athletics, fine arts, debate, and service with excellent local organizations. Such experiences are an important part of student life and growth, and they provide a way for Trinitas students to engage with and serve the wider community.

To learn about tuition costs for the current or upcoming school year, please contact our office at 616-855-6518.

Included in the cost of tuition are all textbooks, field trips, membership fees, and tests offered to full-time students and home school students for the courses in which they are enrolled. School uniforms are not included.

We are committed to being a school that displays socio-economic diversity. God’s kingdom, after all, displays such diversity. We are also committed to fiscal responsibility and sustainability. Families are encouraged to apply for tuition assistance from their churches and other charitable sources. Trinitas is able to provide limited tuition assistance (up to 50% total tuition) to qualified full-time families. New and returning enrollees seeking financial assistance from Trinitas must apply through FACTS Grant and Aid. Applications can be found on our website. If you are able to contribute to our Annual Fund, some of those monies go toward financial aid—this is a wonderful way to further God’s kingdom.

Spots are limited and priority for enrollment is given to current families, so we recommend applying as early as possible. Applications to FACTS Grant and Aid are due April 1. The Trinitas Board may consider applications for financial aid submitted after this date if there are funds remaining.