Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where are you located?
A: Students in grades PK4 through 4th attend classes at Westgate-Memorial Baptist Church, 6220 Westgate Drive, Beaumont. Westgate has been a wonderful and generous partner to Veritas since our second year.
Students in grades 5th and up attend classes at our beautiful, newly restored permanent campus downtown at 530 N. Main St., Beaumont, right next to the Fire Museum and Edison Plaza. This location also serves as our primary administrative office. Originally built in the 1930’s in a restrained Gothic style as an educational building for a Presbyterian church, it has now been restored with modern amenities as a permanent home for Veritas. Flooded with natural light (over 100 windows) and reflecting classical style, it is a perfect home for us to fill students with a love of the true, good, and beautiful. Feel free to schedule a tour to see this incredible architectural gem!
Q: What is the role of the parent when teaching at home?
A: Parents assume the role of "co-teacher." The on-campus teacher introduces new concepts in class, and prepares detailed lesson plans and a checklist for each subject that parents use at home with their student. In the older grades, as students begin to work more independently, parents transition to the role of course monitor. We do not expect parents to master and teach the more advanced material in the upper grades.
Q: How much time is spent on lessons during the at-home days?
A: The amount of time spent on lessons at home on Tuesday and Thursday depends on many factors, including family size, your student's age and maturity, learning style and speed, and family dynamics. For the Tuesday and Thursday at-home course load, we provide the following as a rough estimate:
Pre-Kindergarten: about one hour per at-home day
Kindergarten: 1.5 to 3.0 hours per at-home day
First Grade: 2.5 to 4.0 hours per at-home day
Second Grade: 3.0 to 4.5 hours per at-home day
Third Grade: 3.5 to to 5.0 hours per at-home day
Fourth Grade: 4.0 to 5.0 hours per at-home day
Fifth and Sixth Grade: 4.0 to 6.0 hours per at-home day
Seventh and up: 5.0 to 7.0 hours per at-home day
Additionally, some families may choose to supplement the lesson plans with enrichment activities, optional assignments, or extra reading.
Q: How do I teach multiple children in the older grades?
A: Lessons can be staggered so that the parent can teach one child while another is working independently. Also, as students get older they are able to work on more portions of their lessons independently which allows the parent to work with other children. By second or third grade, portions of assignments can be completed without the parent needing to be directly involved. This allows flexibility for working with multiple older children. In Logic School (5th grade and up) the students will begin to transition for taking full responsibility for their assignments. By Rhetoric school (9th-12th), our expectation is that students will handle their own assignments, referencing syllabi, similar to what they will experience at a college campus. It is our expectation that parents will provide a facilitating role in high school. Math in particular will be supplemented with on-demand video reviews that should take significant burden off of parents.
Q: Are your teachers trained in classical education?
A: All teachers receive classical training. We also provide extensive training to co-teachers and upper level students. Sessions are held before school resumes in the fall. Additionally, teachers attend a classical education conference during the school year.
Q: What is the maximum class size?
A: As the school grows, maximum class size will vary by grade. Currently, Pre-K is capped at 12 students; all other grades at 16. Once a class fills, additional students will be placed on a waiting list for admission, with order of preference determined by the school through a holistic admissions process, including factors such as enabling sibling attendance, academic ability and a family's long-term commitment to the school. Class sizes may flex +/- two students to accommodate siblings.
Q: Are books included as part of the tuition?
A: No, books are purchased separately. A detailed book list with an ISBN code for each book will be provided. Also, some books and resources are purchased once and then used for several years, so the first year cost will be higher than subsequent years. Parents may purchase the books locally, online, new, used, from other parents, or in any combination they wish. Depending on these factors, the cost of books can range between $200 and $500 per student.
Q: Will my student who has never before been classically educated be able to keep up?
A: Students from all academic backgrounds will benefit from the time-tested methods of the classical approach. Exposure to a classical education can enrich the student on many levels. We have many students who have transitioned successfully to the classical approach in our upper grades.
Q: Do you have uniforms and a dress code?
A: Yes. Neat and professional attire helps to promote a learning environment where students are more focused on academics rather than clothing. Uniforms also ease the financial burden on families of buying school clothes.
Q: Do you offer scholarships or discounts?
A: Yes. We offer three types of discounts.
Q: Is there assigned homework?
A: There is no evening homework assigned. All material is covered between the on-campus school days and at-home school days, freeing the evening for families.
Q: Why does Veritas schedule classes on national holidays like Columbus Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Presidents’ Day?
A: Veritas students normally attend class on Mondays and Wednesdays, and all of these holidays happen to fall on Monday. Based on feedback from our teachers, the “rhythm” of our school week makes it very difficult to plan effectively with only Wednesday as a class day. Our students attend campus only about 70 days per year, so it is important that each is used to its utmost for our students to complete our challenging curriculum. Given the preciousness of our class time, we also do not interrupt the normal sequence of our curriculum to feature special content surrounding these holidays. This is not meant as disrespect to Columbus, King, Washington, or Lincoln, but simply a logistical limitation of our school model. Our robust history curriculum covers these individuals, and other historically significant figures, in detail and in context, consistent with our classical approach.
Q: What are your plans for gaining accreditation?
A: Veritas Classical Academy is fully accredited by both the Christian Latin School Association (CLSA) and the Association of Christian and Classical Schools (ACCS). ACCS is a member of the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) consortium, which provides Veritas recognition under state law and allows certain privileges such as conducting our own PSAT, SAT, and ACT administrations.
Q: Is this a co-op?
A: A blended model is not the same thing as a homeschool “co-op.” In a co-op, parents join together and utilize their gifts, talents, and abilities in the instruction of the children of that group. For example, if a family is part of a co-op and one of the parents of that family is particularly gifted in the subject of science, then that parent might teach science to other children in the group. These cooperatives can be wonderful educational venues for families, but Veritas Classical Academy is not a co-op; it is a school. We hire professional teachers and provide families many of the services they might expect from a traditional educational institution, such as in-class and standardized assessments, transcripts, lesson planning and other benefits parents would expect from a school.
Our families tend to be heavily involved in community, church and family activities throughout the week. We believe our approach is a perfect balance for many families who wish to maintain primary influence over their child's education but feel that they may lack sufficient time to homeschool to a high academic standard. By offloading much of the planning and teaching to professional teachers and staff, we save families time and money from having to "reinvent the wheel" to execute an academically rigorous, Christ-centered education.
