Harvest Christian Academy is dedicated to providing a Christ-centered learning environment that allows students to achieve academic excellence. One desired outcome of our mission is preparing our students for higher education. In high school, a focus on "College Prep" involves a rigorous curriculum that develops critical thinking, organizational skills, and a solid foundation of knowledge in several subjects. These valuable resources give students a better opportunity to excel in college.
Why Choose a Private School?
We believe there are several benefits in choosing private education. One reason stems from smaller class sizes and the capability to spend more individual time with each student. The article "Private School Students Perform Better on ACT," published by the Council for American Private Education, shows a drastic difference between college preparedness levels in students who attend a private school versus a public school. An excerpt from the article: "Private school graduates are better prepared for college than those with diplomas from other schools, according to 2018 data from the ACT. Eighty-four percent of 2018 graduates of religious and independent schools who took the ACT met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmark score in English, compared to 57 percent of graduates from public schools. The share of students who met or surpassed the benchmark scores in other subjects was also higher in private schools (reading – 67 percent vs. 43 percent; math – 59 vs. 37; science – 55 vs. 34). In every racial and ethnic subgroup, ACT-tested students in private schools also outscored their public-school counterparts. The average ACT score for public school students in 2018 fell under the national mean by four-tenths of a point, while the average score for private school students exceeded the national mean by 3.3 points.
The HCA Difference
Over the last two years, the HCA graduates' ACT scores saw a significant increase! The dedication to a quality curriculum, differentiated learning techniques, and the Learning Enrichment program are three ways HCA expects to increase our graduates' college readiness. This intentional effort to develop each student's potential academic success will help them achieve great things in high school, college, and a future career.