Nazareth Catholic Academy is a proposed Catholic classical academy in Charleston, Illinois, planned to open in Fall 2027.

The Academy is being developed to serve families through two expressions of one educational mission:

• A Five-Day Catholic Classical Academy

• A One-Day Homeschool Cooperative

Both are rooted in the same Catholic understanding of the human person, the same commitment to parents as the primary educators of their children, and the same desire to form students in faith, wisdom, and virtue.

Nazareth Catholic Academy is currently pursuing nonprofit status as part of its preparation for a proposed Fall 2027 opening.

Establishing a nonprofit structure will help support the long-term mission of the Academy, provide appropriate governance and accountability, and create a foundation for charitable giving, tuition assistance, and future growth.

Additional information regarding nonprofit status and opportunities to support Nazareth with be shared as the process is completed.

At Nazareth, Catholicism is not simply one subject in the curriculum.

The Catholic faith shapes the entire life of the school: how we understand the child, the purpose of education, the meaning of freedom, the nature of virtue, the dignity of the human person as created by a loving God, and the harmonious relationship between faith and reason.

Prayer, Sacred Scripture, the Liturgical life of the Church, the saints, Catholic moral teaching, and the sacraments will all have a natural place in the culture of the academy.

Nazareth seeks joyful fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church and communion with Her Magisterium.

Every human person, from the moment of conception, is created intentionally and lovingly by God in His image and likeness. Each person possesses an inherent dignity that does not depend upon ability, achievement, intelligence, popularity, or success.

The human person is a unity of body and soul, created male or female, possessing an intellect made to know the truth and a will made to choose the good. (Genesis 1:27)

Because we are created by God, our deepest identity is received as a gift. Because of the reality of original sin, we need Baptism, grace, formation of conscience, reconciliation, discipline, and virtue. Because of the redemption won for us by Jesus Christ, every person is called to holiness and eternal communion with God in the joy of heaven.

This Catholic anthropology is the foundation of our approach to education.

The goal of education and human formation is for each child, each person, to become fully human and fully alive in Christ Jesus. We seek to form students who can think clearly, recognize truth, choose what is good, appreciate what is beautiful, govern themselves in virtue, love others generously, and respond faithfully to God’s call in their lives.

Our highest hope for every student is that he or she would live as a disciple of Jesus Christ and become a saint.

Parents are the first and primary educators of their children.

Nazareth exists to support parents in that vocation, not to replace them.

The relationship between home and school should therefore be one of genuine partnership, shared responsibility, trust, communication, and a common understanding of what children are being formed toward.

Parents and school share a common mission: to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Nazareth seeks to cultivate a school culture marked by faith, joy, reverence, friendship, order, wonder, and a genuine love of learning.

We desire a community where children are known personally, teachers are joyful witnesses to the Catholic faith, families support one another, and students learn to recognize the good in themselves and in one another.

Prayer, study, play, conversation, beauty, time outdoors, service, celebration, and the liturgical life of the Church all have a natural place in the rhythm of school life.

Our aim is not merely to create an excellent school, but a joyful Catholic community in which children can flourish and families can grow together in holiness.

The world was created by God with an intelligible order that the human mind is capable of discovering.

Truth forms the intellect. Goodness forms the will. Beauty awakens love and wonder.

Children should encounter things worthy of their attention: great books, beautiful art, sacred music, excellent language, the natural world, heroic lives, and the truths of the Catholic faith.

Education must cultivate not only what children know, but also what they learn to love.

Catholic families may faithfully fulfill their responsibility for education in different ways.

Some families desire a complete five-day school environment. Others have discerned to primarily educate their children at home while seeking stronger Catholic community, friendships, enrichment, formation, and shared experiences with other families.

Nazareth seeks to support both.

The two programs do not have competing educational philosophies, but rather, are different expressions of the same mission and same understanding of parents, children, education, and the Catholic faith.

Nazareth Catholic Academy is being developed to serve families in Charleston, Mattoon, and the surrounding East-Central Illinois region.

We are currently discerning and evaluating the best permanent location for the Academy as we prepare for a proposed Fall 2027 opening.

Our desire is for a beautiful, welcoming campus that supports both the Five-Day Academy and One-Day Homeschool Cooperative, with room for children to learn, pray, play, explore nature, and grow together in community, as well as room to grow future enrollment to include Middle and High School.

Additional information regarding the school site will be shared as plans are finalized.

Final tuition for the Five-Day Academy has not yet been established.

As Nazareth develops, one of our priorities is to make an authentically Catholic education accessible to families across a wide range of financial circumstances while also providing our teachers and school with the resources necessary to pursue excellence.

We anticipate offering tuition assistance and will actively seek benefactors and other means of reducing the financial burden on families.

Specific tuition, fees, financial-aid opportunities, and costs associated with the One-Day Homeschool Cooperative will be announced as we move closer to enrollment.

We do not want a family’s desire for a faithful Catholic education to end with the question, “Can we afford it?”