A South Jersey Christian School | Stratford Classical Christian Academy

Like many other Christians in our community, members of Stratford Orthodox Presbyterian Church desire to educate their children in accordance with a Christian understanding of the world. Furthermore, they desire to educate them in the most effective manner possible, so that they will grow to be well equipped to fulfill their duties to Jesus Christ. Such duties will include their responsibilities as Church members, as citizens in the community, as spouses and parents, and as workers in their vocations.

To help further these objectives, Rev. Martin L. Dawson, Sr., Pastor of Stratford Orthodox Presbyterian Church, began planning to establish the Stratford Classical Christian Academy (SCCA) in 1998. By the summer of 2000, Reverend Dawson and the Stratford Elders had appointed a preliminary school board to begin researching the best methods of education available. Early in this process, the SCCA board decided that the classical method of education, rooted in a Biblical worldview, was a superior foundation on which to build the school. The classical method of education is based upon the Trivium, consisting of "grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.” These three stages of the classical method correspond to the Trivium of "knowledge, understanding, and wisdom" found in the Bible’s Book of Proverbs. In the summer of 2000,Deacon Ralph Cochran, IV, was appointed President of the school board, and continues his energetic and valuable leadership down to this day.

Over the course of the next year, the school board began to consult with several other Classical Christian schools, such as Tall Oaks Classical Christian School in Delaware, and to develop by-laws and a comprehensive business plan. The goal was to create a school that would be built on a solid foundation theologically, philosophically, and financially. Since we could not find just the right Headmaster, we did not begin classes in the fall of 2002 as we had hoped. However, in 2003 Mr. Sidney Henriquez agreed to leave his position at Veritas Press and Academy, and take the position of Headmaster of SCCA. His service has been invaluable in operating the school, and creating an atmosphere of joy in receiving a quality Christian education. Under his direction, the Academy began classes in the fall of 2003, with an enrollment of seventeen students in grades kindergarten through third grade. Within four years, the enrollment had climbed to over eighty students, in grades kindergarten through seventh, with the plan to continue to add a grade each year until twelfth grade.

With eighty students enrolled, the facilities at Stratford Orthodox Presbyterian Church were no longer sufficient for further growth, and the Academy acquired complete ownership of the twenty-three acre campus of the former Stratford Military Academy. The campus has four buildings, one of which is the historic Tomlinson Mansion, built in 1844. Total rehabilitation work on the campus should permit classes to begin there in January of 2008.

The Academy's long term vision is to graduate students who have received a superior education, and who endeavor in their callings after graduation to bring honor to the name of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Stratford Classical Christian Academy is committed to the absolute authority of Scripture. We believe that the infallible Word of God is found in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. We affirm the historic Christian doctrines of the Protestant Reformation, and we have adopted as our Doctrinal Standards the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

SCCA is a parochial school, meaning that it is a ministry of the Church. While many private Christian day schools have done a fine job of providing a Christ honoring education, we believe that there are distinct advantages to having the school under the oversight of a solid Church. Such oversight ensures the doctrinal integrity of the whole enterprise. SCCA is operated by a Board of Directors, which is appointed and overseen by the Session of Stratford Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The SCCA Headmaster is responsible for the day to day governing and operation of the school.

The curriculum for the early grades includes the following subjects: Bible, mathematics, grammar, phonics, history, science, art, linguistics, literature, Latin and physical education. The curriculum is provided by various Classical Christian school sources, such as Veritas Press. More advanced studies, including Greek, are added in seventh grade. SCCA assists home schooling parents to implement the classical method by offering a la carte classes, curriculum assistance, and classroom observation.

SCCA is a member of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS).

Click here to watch a promotional video of SCCA.