Contact St. Thomas Aquinas Academy

St. Thomas Aquinas Academy is, at its heart, a Catholic liberal arts program. Our high school offers four paths through that program, so every family can find the plan that fits its students, its calling, and its seasons. The four paths are best understood not as a ranking of students, but as one full program and its adaptations: the fullest expression first, then wise, purposeful fittings of that fullness to each family. We present them here from the fullest expression downward, so the whole vision is in view before any thoughtful adjustment.

What Every Family Shares, and What Sets the Diploma Tracks Apart

Two things stay the same across all four paths. Every family is warmly welcome here, and two supports stand open to all: live classes (with or without advisor grading added), and advisor grading on its own, without registering for a live class.

What sets the three diploma tracks apart from the Foundations Track is the level of advisor guidance and support with academic standards and transcript development. A St. Thomas Aquinas Academy diploma is a credential we issue and stand behind, so it asks for the very things by which we come to know a student well enough to vouch for the work: enrollment, an annual skills assessment with personalized placement, regular advisor support meetings, and semester reporting to develop a transcript. The Foundations family, authoring its own graduation plan and drawing its diploma elsewhere, may choose any of these supports but is not required to. Every support remains available to them; what differs is simply whether it is woven in or chosen.

The Four Tracks at a Glance

A Closer Look at Each Track

Catholic Liberal Arts Diploma Track. The fullest expression of our program: the complete Great Books course of study for young Catholic scholars, with semesters delightfully crafted around the classical seven liberal arts. Its academics are specific to each state of formation, with an eye for Catholic leadership and family life, and a balance of academic, spiritual, and physical health.

College Preparatory Diploma Track. College Preparatory serves the four-year college-bound student who wants a competitive, transferable record, with college entrance testing and flexible language options. It is also the recommended path for the serious athlete or performer, whose rigorous training brings very real time constraints, and whose weekly schedule will benefit from trimming some subject-area studies to the minimum while keeping the academic core strong.

General Education Diploma Track. General Education serves the student who will flourish with more room in the week, whether for skill-building labs, targeted remediation, or substantial hands-on pursuits such as a trade, an apprenticeship, a family enterprise, or intensive art or athletics. Of the three diploma tracks, it carries the most substitution options, making room for those labs and pursuits, and it suits the student headed toward the workforce, an apprenticeship, vocational or technical training, or open-admission community college.

Foundations Track. The Foundations Track is for families who want the heart of our program but will draw the student’s diploma from another source, whether parent-issued, by a state equivalency examination, or through a state or community college dual-enrollment program. You and your advisor craft a personalized plan built around the studies that matter most, fitted to your student’s gifts and to the path that lies ahead.

How to Choose

Choosing among the four is far easier with a guide, and you do not have to settle it on your own. The best first step is a free consultation, where we talk through your student’s background, find the right placement, and shape a plan together. If you would like to read more about the three diplomas first, you are welcome to visit our diploma program page.