This year marks ten years since Atlanta Classical Academy (ACA) opened its doors in North Atlanta. Originally open to grades K-8, Atlanta Classical added grade levels each year and graduated its first class of seniors in 2019. ACA’s campus on Northside Drive was originally home to The Heiskell School, an independent Christian school founded in 1949 that served Pre-K through eighth grade. The Heiskell School closed in 2014 and Atlanta Classical opened in the fall of that year.

The mission of Atlanta Classical Academy is to develop students in mind and character through a classical, content-rich curriculum that emphasizes the principles of virtuous living, traditional learning, and civic responsibility 

“For the last ten years, Atlanta Classical’s single animating principle has been forming knowledgeable and virtuous citizens of our country,” said Josh Andrew, Head of School at Atlanta Classical. “We’ve drawn chemists, poets, opera singers, cancer researchers, and college professors to our school who believe that the good of our nation depends on an education that nurtures the mind and heart in equal portions. Since our opening, our students have pledged each morning that they will learn the true, do the good, and love the beautiful. Each one of our 199 graduates is our expression of this promise, and we are eager to add to their ranks and do good in Atlanta for years to come.” 

Jonathan Henriquez, who joined the school as a music teacher in 2014, is celebrating his 10-year ACA anniversary. He shared what first drew him to the school and why he decided to stay.

“I originally moved to Georgia to pursue my PhD in musicology at UGA. I needed part-time work and applied to ACA, thinking that a music program at a public school would demand one or two days of my time at most. In my first interview, the principal made it clear that this would be a full-time position and asked if I would consider putting my degree on hold for a year. I agreed and started working at the school at the end of July 2014. When I saw the curriculum, I was floored. I think it was probably two weeks into the school year when I made the decision to put my degree on hold indefinitely. This place was too special and the mission too important for me to leave it behind that soon.” 

 As a charter school, ACA is a tuition-free, non-selective, independently run public school granted greater flexibility in its operations in return for greater accountability for performance. Charter schools like ACA have the freedom to use their own curriculum, design their own teaching methods, manage their own finances, hire their own teachers, and set their own calendars. In exchange for this flexibility, ACA must demonstrate performance in the areas of academic achievement, financial management, and organizational stability. 

Just a few months ago, the Atlanta Board of Education voted unanimously to renew Atlanta Classical Academy’s charter agreement for a third, five-year term.