Our goal at Palm Beach Christian Academy is to partner with parents to provide a strong spiritual foundation, create an atmosphere that emphasizes relationships with classmates, and offer a program that aligns or exceeds state and national standards. We believe the classical Christian model of education best supports these efforts.
PBCA takes pride in offering small class sizes which maximizes the personal attention each child receives. Our experienced teachers integrate a wide range of teaching methods which support personal learning styles and help children fulfill their academic potential. As a result of these efforts, 80% of our students score above grade level on the Terra Nova Standardized Test.
School-age students at our downtown campus participate in several programs throughout the year. They take part in a Christmas program as well as a spring concert. Other activities throughout the year include: Science Fair, Spelling Bee, Fall Festival, Character Parade, Thanksgiving Feast, Art Show, 100th Day of School Celebration, Earth Day, Career Day, Field Day, and Book Fair. Students may also enjoy other special activities that are specific to that student's grade level.
Community service and outreach opportunities are also provided throughout the school year, and after school clubs are offered to students who are interested in additional activities.
We utilize the following curriculum: Story of the World (History), BJU Press (Math, Science), Scientific Spelling (Spelling and Handwriting), Institute for Excellence in Writing (Writing, Grammar), and Reading Wonders (Reading, Phonics).
Program Features
- Fully immersive classical Christian education model of education:
- Virtue study through all subjects and behavior plan, spiraling through the years
- Trivium focus (Grammar/knowledge, Logic/understanding, and Rhetoric/wisdom)
- History as a timeline, spiraling through the years
- Strong parental partnerships with teachers and administrators
- Small class sizes with low student to teacher ratio
- Meets or exceeds state and national standards with rigorous and competitive curriculum
- Consistency between grade levels and child-specific planning shared between all teachers
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ELEMENTARY PROGRAM:
Spiritual Life | STEM | Student Organizations | Community Service | Clubs | Field Trips
School-age FAQs
School-age students participate in special programs and activities throughout the school year. See below a list of the many activities that our school-age students participated in during the 2018-2019 school year.
In-school Activities
▪ Fall Festival
▪ Thanksgiving Feast
▪ School Art Show
▪ Artigras Competition
▪ Career Day
▪ Earth Day
▪ Field Day
▪ Book Fair
▪ Operation Christmas Child
▪ Spiritual Emphasis Week
▪ Character Parade
▪ 100 Day of School Dress Up
▪ Spelling Bee
▪ Dr. Seuss Week activities
▪ Red Ribbon Week activities
▪ Book Tasting
▪ Christmas Program
▪ Spring Concert
▪ Step Up Day
▪ STEM activities and competitions
▪ Pen Pals
▪ Recycling Program
Leadership Opportunities
▪ Video Morning Announcements
▪ Chapel Leaders
▪ Safety Patrol
▪ Fall Festival Student Volunteers
▪ Christmas Pajama and Cookie Day Volunteers
In-school Field Trips
▪ Zoo Mobile (K-1)
▪ Uptown Art (K-1)
▪ Resource Depot (K-1)
▪ High Touch, High Tech (K-5)
Off-campus Field Trips
▪ Loxahatchee River Ctr. (K-1)
▪ Manatee Lagoon (K-1)
▪ Bedner’s Farm (K-1)
▪ Lion Country Safari (2-5)
▪ Sea World (2-5)
▪ Boomers (2-5)
▪ Norton Art Gallery (K-5)
In addition to elective classes (music, art, Spanish, P.E., library, chapel), after-school clubs are also offered throughout the school year to school-age students. Club offering will vary throughout the year, but may include clubs such as sports, music, art, and drama. See below a list of some of the clubs that were offered to students for the 2018-2019 school year.
After-school Clubs
▪ Drama Club
▪ Music Club
▪ Home Economics Meets Home Depot Club
▪ Stained Glass Club
▪ Dr. Seuss Club
▪ Fake Food Club
▪ Wacky Science Club
▪ Messy Club
We follow the FLDOE standards as our baseline. Teachers have worked together to meticulously align our standards, standardized testing (Terra Nova), and curriculum to ensure that there are no gaps in the academic program. Over 80% of our elementary students score above grade level (many score at least one grade level above) on their standardized testing. Our principal, as well as many of the teachers on staff, have served in both private and public school and have a good understanding of the expectations of these standards.
As long as a student is meeting these standards, they will move onto the next grade level. However, we are in a unique position to be able to supplement students who need additional assistance and to also enrich children who can move ahead quickly. In the end, this extra support allows us to help children achieve to their ability level, regardless of the standards that are in place.
Our teachers meet with each parent at a minimum of once in the fall and once in the spring. That being said, if a student is struggling in any given area, teachers will reach out to parents right away to start working on different strategies to help their child be successful academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Teachers are easily accessible, and use phone, email, and the Remind App to communicate with parents.
Our principal is also available for additional support to both teachers and parents, and will ensure that all avenues are explored to help your child.
All of our school-age teachers have college degrees and are required to hold and maintain their Florida Teaching Certification. Our teachers participate in in-house professional development, partner with the PBC school district for different training opportunities, visit other private schools to see what the teachers in their equivalent grade level are doing in their classrooms, and go to Christian Schools of Palm Beach County Annual Staff Development Day.
Our principal also meets with our elementary teachers at a minimum of once a week to support them as a team and to provide additional resources for their individual development. She serves as the Vice President of the Christian Schools of Palm Beach County, and helps facilitate training opportunities for PBCA teachers and teachers throughout the county. She is also a regular guest speaker at Palm Beach Atlantic, where she encourages and trains student-teachers who are currently participating in their Beginning Teacher Program.
PBCA partners with the Palm Beach County School District to provide services through their Title I Program and Exceptional Students Program. Please ask the school for more information regarding these programs.
*Please note that services provided by PBCA and the school district are considered supportive in nature. PBCA does not currently provide additional support for students who would not otherwise be successful in the traditional/mainstream classroom.
PBCA participates in the Step Up for Students Program (including Family Empowerment) and the McKay Scholarship Program. If a student qualifies for either of these programs, they must then follow the admissions steps, which include admissions testing and acceptance into the program.
Please see the "Scholarships" link on our site for more information on these programs.
Summer camp is available to students who are currently registered in the school-age program. Teachers create themed weeks filled with activities, as well as in-school and out-of-school field trips, to make the program enjoyable for all.