Overview

Who We Are

The Academy Tutorial is a college preparatory program for home-schooled students in grades 7 through 12. We provide high-level, rigorous classes one day per week that are designed to prepare our students for acceptance and success in quality colleges and universities. Our tutors represent a wealth of experience and expertise and are committed to our students’ success. Class offerings cover the totality of required courses for high school graduation in Tennessee, with the exception of physical education and health, as long as there is sufficient demand for the classes. Students are provided inspiration, critical information about what and how to learn, and the chance to discuss in a group setting the best of what the week’s work has produced.

The Academy Tutorial is not a school. We are a tutorial collective that is based on two fundamentals:

Parents are primarily responsible for the education of their children/students.
Our program is effective only with the active participation and involvement of the parents.

When The Academy Tutorial classes were first organized in 1990, a dedicated core of families shared the vision that we could be unified in academic pursuits for our children and our shared Christian faith without getting into areas of controversy about doctrine. We wanted a group where tolerance for each person’s faith would be assured. The spontaneous expression of our faith flows through our classrooms, but religious doctrine is rarely a formal part of instruction.

We believe that devotion to God should enhance, not hinder, the pursuit of academic excellence. Faith and intellect are not mutually exclusive. We agree that as our students mature, we want to expose them to ideas that might challenge their faith later in life, introducing these ideas while our children are still within our sphere of influence. We want to help them recognize and counter worldviews that deny God’s power in the universe and in His relationship with man. Teaching mature students to think critically, to seek truth and to foster curiosity remains a primary focus of The Academy Tutorial.

The format for our tutorial is very simple. Our tutors provide a 32-week lesson plan that is the backbone of each course. Objective work (daily homework) is checked at home under the supervision of the parents. This requires that parents buy student texts and teacher’s texts/keys for some classes. Classes that meet for one hour once a week cannot satisfy academic credit or provide adequate instruction unless the parents and students work together to complete what is required outside of class.

We recommend our program to students with an established record of academic excellence and the ability to work independently. We do not recommend the program for students who need remedial or bridge work or who are not highly motivated.

Schedule

The Academy Tutorial classes meet for 32 weeks from mid-August to mid-May. We break for one week in the fall, one week at Thanksgiving, three weeks at Christmas and two weeks during the spring. Classes are held on Tuesdays with a few exceptions: additional biology, physics and chemistry labs may meet at different locations on days other than Tuesday and some courses are offered only on Friday.

Cost

Tuition per class, in most cases, is $320 for the year. Book costs, which can run from $50-$100 per class, are not included in the tuition fees. Administrative fees fluctuate from year to year, depending on expenses and the number of families enrolled in the program. This year, each family’s yearly, non-refundable confirmation fee is $100 - $175, depending on number of students in the family, and the administrative fee is $320 per family. (Families may offset the cost of the $320-administrative fee by participating in the Kroger Community Rewards program.) For each first-time applicant, we charge a $25 non-refundable processing fee. The application, confirmation, and administrative fees fund our rent, stipends for our administrators, cleaning costs, telephone costs, postage, insurance, office supplies, and miscellaneous expenses. Fees for future terms are subject to change.

Requirements

We require:

A year-long commitment and full payment of tuition in April for the upcoming academic year. These fees are non-refundable. Classes may not be dropped after tuition is paid. Families who need a payment plan can be accommodated, but we must have post-dated checks and a written contract. We hire teachers for a full year and must be able to guarantee their salaries; therefore, tuition is non-refundable.
Students must take a minimum of three academic classes each year. Students in grades 7 - 9 must also choose two of their three required courses from those suggested for their grade levels.
We expect families to become contributing members of our tutorial who will support our tutors and our program.
Parents must sign liability release forms for each of their students.
Students and parents must have a minimum of one-year previous home school experience.

Non-Discriminatory Policy

The Academy Tutorial admits students of any race, color, nationality and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students in our group. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationality or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and other group-administered programs.