LCA says it’s largest private school in state

By Annie McCallum

Published: August 4, 2008

Liberty Christian Academy’s enrollment has more than doubled during the past four years, with 1,700 or more students expected this year.

School officials said an internal study shows LCA is the largest K-12 private school in Virginia. Educators there attribute growth to a Bible-based curriculum, new state-of-the-art facilities and its partnership with Liberty University.

LCA Superintendent Todd Campo said while there are a number of reasons for the school’s growth, one stands out.

“Parents recognize the need for a values-rich curriculum,” he said. “They see a lot of the public schools not defining themselves in a moral way when it comes to values.”

Campo said school officials stress discipline “in a compassionate and bold way.”

“We’re not afraid to talk about what’s right and wrong and we’re not afraid to talk about the Lord,” Campo said, also adding there are not many private schools that can boast facilities
like LCA’s.

Last summer the school added 44,000 square feet, which Campo said was intended to serve growth for the next two to three years. School even started late last year as the major capital improvements finished up. The school added a wrestling room, a band room and about 18 classrooms.

Gearing up for this school year, Campo said, enrollment has outpaced the facility’s capital growth. During the summer months, LCA has been remodeled to include eight new classrooms, a choir room, more cafeteria space, new office space and an additional hallway.

The school will hold an open house Thursday for prospective students, but officials said several grades are already full.

The school has hired 15 new teachers to accommodate the growth and adhere to an average class size of 20-24 students.

When doors open for the new academic year Sept. 2, LCA will be a far cry from the school that started in 1967 as Lynchburg Christian Academy and was created as a ministry of Thomas Road Baptist Church. It moved from Thomas Road to its current site in 2005.

“We would like to continue to expand,” Campo said. “The other side of that is we continue to seek quality. We’ve really strengthened our curriculum.”

He said LCA stands out to parents because it has a university directly linked and affiliated with a K-12 school.

Because of its proximity to Liberty, the school pairs LCA students with college students through LCA’s individualized instruction program.

John Patterson, director of academy relations, said LU students must complete university-mandated internships and community service hours, which can be satisfied through the individualized instruction program. Patterson questioned where else parents could find personalized tutoring on such a large scale.

Another selling point: Students enrolled at LCA for grades 9-12 can attend LU for free. LCA tuition can range from $3,960 to $5,750, depending on grade level.

Patterson said the free LU tuition is a draw for parents.

“We have people from all over the country move here,” he said.

Campo also acknowledged the important link between LU and LCA.

“We get more and more parents who pack up. We have people from Ohio and Texas and really from all over. They see Liberty. They see the total package,” Campo said, and then recalling what parents say, “Let’s start at LCA.”

LCA enrollment

- 2004-2005: 771

- 2005-2006: 891

- 2006-2007: 1,120

- 2007-2008: 1,532

- 2008-2009: 1,712