About Our School
About Us
A classical charter school established in 2014 by ResponsiveEd, Founders Classical Academy of Leander serves students in grades K through 12. The school is tuition-free with an open admission policy and is accredited through the Texas Education Agency.
Mission
The mission of Founders Classical Academy is to train the minds and improve the hearts of young men and women through a rigorous, classical education in the liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in good character and civic virtue.
Faculty
The faculty of Founders is selected based on their mastery of academic disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences and is dedicated to instilling a love of lifelong learning. The student to faculty ratio in the Upper School is 14:1, and many of the teachers hold Master's or doctoral degrees.
Academic Curriculum
The curriculum teaches the liberal arts and emphasizes the intellectual and moral virtues through a content-rich, cohesive course of study. The Western tradition is central to the study of history, literature, and philosophy at Founders, and within the Western tradition, students engage in a rich and recurring examination of the American literary, moral, philosophical, and historical traditions. Courses are rooted in primary sources and taught in the Socratic method, emphasizing intellectual analysis and dialogue. Students are encouraged to improve their minds and their character in accordance with virtue. The aim of the academics is to cultivate a love of the just, the beautiful, the good, and the true, and to make the pursuit of these things a way of life.
Diploma Requirements
Graduates are well prepared to enter institutions of higher learning as liberally educated young men and women. All students complete a common, challenging college preparatory curriculum totaling 28 credits. The requirements include, at a minimum, four credits of Mathematics and of the Sciences, four credits of Literature, four credits of History, one credit of Philosophy, three credits of Latin with the option to continue or to enroll in a modern Foreign Language, and courses in Logic, Composition, Rhetoric, Performance and Fine Arts, and Physical Education.
Senior Thesis
The senior thesis, a requirement for graduation, serves as the culmination of the student’s study at Founders. Seniors conduct in-depth research, formulate a thesis worthy of debate, write and refine a rigorous academic paper, and defend the work publicly before a panel of their teachers, peers, and members of the school community.
Grading Scale
Grade inflation is discouraged, and students are challenged to strive for improvement and mastery. Students are not only challenged in the classroom, but graded on a rigorous scale.
Student Awards
At the end of each academic year, students are honored for academic, athletic, and moral achievements. Students who have demonstrated excellence in a particular subject are recognized with subject awards. The highest awards are determined by faculty committee and given to students demonstrating the utmost level of Excellence in Attendance (Spartan Award), Excellence in Moral Virtue (Aeneas Award), Excellence in Athletics (Achilles Award), Excellence in Fine Arts (Homer Award), and Excellence in Intellectual Virtue (Odysseus Award).
Student Leadership
To cultivate the development of self-government, organization and execution, and leadership, the entire student body is divided into one of six houses (Beethoven, Da Vinci, Euclid, Herodotus, Newton, and Shakespeare) for their 7th-12th grade years. Each house, led by a Mentor Teacher, competes against the others in a series of academic and athletic competitions. Throughout the year, a student earns points for his or her house when recognized for distinction in the classroom, on the athletic field, or in words and deeds. Each house is also responsible for planning a school event and undertaking a community service project. Houses are led by a head boy and a head girl, chosen by their mentor, and by student representatives for each grade, elected by their peers.