Building an Institution
Trinity Classical School is initiating its first ever fundraising campaign. We’d prefer it to be thought of as a year of giving above and beyond towards some of our strategic goals. We would also like to call the community to reflect on the implications of building an institution. In the brief video below, you will hear Mr. Anderson further expand on the campaign theme. In short, we have set our attention towards building a school that, by God’s grace, will last a long time, while standing for Christ and His kingdom. Please watch the video below and prayerfully consider giving above and beyond this year.
Tour the Faith Center
Our Mission
Trinity Classical School is committed to a robustly Christian, thoroughly classical, and intentionally collaborative education. We believe that we have a great heritage in the educational tradition of the West, extending back to the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. As we trace this heritage, in its best moments, education has been a commitment to the cultivation of wisdom and virtue in young hearts and minds. Education has been a means of grappling with the highest truths, coming to terms with the natural order of our universe, and discovering what it means to be human. In order to pursue these great ends, educators have used the seven liberal arts (grammar/Latin, logic, rhetoric, music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy) as a means. In essence, rigorous, liberal arts-oriented study has historically been the core make-up of a classical education. Most of the men and women we admire and whose life and work have made the greatest impact on western civilization were educated in this manner.
Unfortunately, this great tradition has been abandoned in the modern era. It has been replaced in the last century with a progressive philosophy of education. The ends of wisdom and virtue no longer reign supreme because there is no cultural agreement as to what a wise and virtuous life is. At best, test-taking skills, college prep, and vocational training are ultimate ends in the progressive model. This has made for a much more mechanical and systematic approach to education that cares little about what it means to be human and much about what it means to be an effective worker in the current system of American culture. At TCS, we certainly want our students to be well-equipped for the modern workforce, but this is not our ultimate end.
TCS takes a classical and Christ-centered approach to education because we care about worship. We want our students to understand that we study, experiment, think, discuss, write, debate, and create because we believe this is what it means to be created in the image of God. We study math, not ultimately to become engineers or financial advisors, but because understanding math helps us understand the God we love. Classical education is an act of worship at TCS. It is an act of worship pursued as a family unit, with families owning the educational process and refusing to abdicate it wholesale to professional educators.
We have been diligently pursuing this vision for 15 years now and the fruit is ample. The Lord has established our school and now we are setting our sights on building a lasting institution. We want to build in a way to ensure this school has every opportunity to exist in 50 years.
Our Fruit
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TCS is producing a steady stream of students who, upon reaching upper school, enjoy working hard and thinking deeply. They love good books, art, music, and poetry. Many love nature, natural philosophy, and are cultivating mathematical minds. They possess a wealth of knowledge from their early education that enables them to converse more deeply than many adults. They know how to exist socially without cell phones and prefer human interaction. Most have a deeply formed love of God, and they have been shown the way. Every group of seniors so far has broadly exhibited the traits of our portrait of a graduate and have evidenced that they have received what we call, a real education.
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We believe in educating through the Great Conversation. Our upper school students have been shaped by these authors and more: Moses, Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Luke, Plutarch, Eusebius, Athanasius, Augustine, Dante, Luther, Shakespeare, Milton, Descartes, Locke, Austen, Dickens, Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Orwell, T.S. Elliot, C.S Lewis, Julius Caesar (in Latin), Virgil (in Latin).
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Our seniors prove their abilities and earn their diploma by delivering a thesis in the spring of their senior year. This necessitates skills that are no longer required in progressive education paradigms. Students must display significant rhetoric skills, read deeply, develop conviction related to big ideas, communicate logically and convincingly, and defend their convictions before a panel and amidst a full room of spectators. TCS students always rise to the occasion. Below is a small sampling of past thesis papers.
By Madelyn Hajovsky
By Sage Steffen
By Helen Wagner
By Hunter Rapp
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Our students have been highly successful in getting into the colleges and universities of their choice. So far they have been accepted to the following:
Abilene Christian University
Asbury University
Austin College
Baylor University, Honors College
Belmont University, Honors College
Biola University
Boyce College
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
Colorado Christian University
Colorado School of Mines
Dallas Baptist University
Grove City College
Houston Christian University, Honors College
Letourneau University, Honors College
Lipscomb University, Honors College
Louisiana State University
Oral Roberts University, Honors College
Ouachita Baptist University
Patrick Henry College
Purdue University
Rice University
Samford University, University Fellows
St. John’s College
Texas A&M University, University Honors Program
Texas Christian University
Texas Tech University
The University of Texas, Austin, Plan II Honors
The University of Texas, San Antonio
Trinity University
University of Arkansas
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Houston, Honors College
University of Michigan
University of North Texas
University of Oklahoma
University of St. Thomas
University of Wyoming
Virginia Tech
Wheaton College -
TCS upholds a unique tradition for a private school. Once a week on Thursday nights, the bulk of our Rhetoric School gathers in our Academic Dean’s home to share a meal, fellowship, and study the Bible. The reason we list this as evidence of fruit is because, in many ways, it represents the goal. Our students want to be with their professors. They want to be with each other. And they want to worship God. Praise God for the fruit.
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“I can say in all honesty that my education at Trinity Classical School was one of hardest things I’ve taken on in my life. I’ve always felt that I was never much of a scholar in comparison to many of my peers. I remember many long nights and stress filled weeks as I tried to keep up with a mountain of readings and homework. What was my takeaway? Nothing worth having comes easy. I was challenged and stretched at TCS like no other place I’d been and I am seeing the fruits of this labor. After graduating from TCS, college has seemed like a cakewalk in comparison. TCS’s approach to writing, literature, and rhetoric has helped me tremendously with my schoolwork and my job. Since I graduated I have already begun working as an admin for a property development company in Houston and will be starting a new job at Way Mechanical this fall. My time at TCS has undoubtedly fast-tracked my entry into my career field. It has helped me communicate clearly, effectively, and with confidence as well as shaped my mind to learn and analyze things quickly and efficiently. I believe there is currently a vacuum of young people entering most career fields who possess strong character, that are well educated, well adjusted, and strong willed individuals and companies are eagerly searching them out. Trinity Classical School is a training ground to produce such individuals to take on the real world. But most importantly, TCS builds faith in Christ, which is the groundwork for all things of true value and success. Their pursuit of truth and beauty has greatly impacted my walk of faith to this day. I am incredibly thankful to this school and its incredible teachers and staff for investing in me and many others.”
Joshua Simpson
TCS Class of 2021
University of Houston
Construction Management“Trinity Classical School thoroughly prepared me for Texas A&M and the transition to being a college student by cultivating my love for the Lord, encouraging me to passionately seek depth in academics, and giving me a community that supports and draws me closer to Christ long after graduation. On my last full campus day, after thirteen years of TCS, I felt all the emotions culminate in gratitude while Mr. Anderson prayed Psalm 23 over me and the other seniors. In those moments, I fully comprehended the uniqueness of my education and the intentionality behind the entire process. I felt so loved by my school and the community surrounding it, and that made me beyond thankful for taking the road less traveled…that has made all the difference.”
Chloe Geiger
TCS Class of 2023
Texas A&M
Mays Business School“I couldn't describe my education at TCS separately from talking about the people there. Whether in class or out of class, I was saturated not simply in the great conversation but also great community. I knew my teachers cared deeply for me and for the subjects they taught, which inspired me to engage with curiosity and excitement. The result was a joy in the act of learning for its own sake — a richness that my college classes, quite honestly, have only brushed at times.”
Hunter Rapp
TCS Class of 2020
University of Texas at Austin
English Major
Our Fundraising Philosophy
Our founders built TCS upon three operational principles; simplicity, focus, and accessibility. These operational principles were chosen for several reasons and they have made our school fruitful. The commitment to these principles has allowed us to establish and maintain unprecedented financial health. When we dreamed about the type of school we wanted to become, these were some of our financial goals:
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We have intended to charge in tuition the full amount of what it takes to run the school. Most schools budget between 10-30% for fundraising with an annual dependency on donors to cover operational costs. TCS has covered its full operational costs for all 15 years through annual tuition only. We have never conducted a fundraiser nor have we used donations to make our budget goals.
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TCS has never incurred debt. We could possibly acquire debt if needed for a short period of time, but thus far, we have remained debt free.
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As a best practice, TCS committed early to saving six months worth of operational reserve in case of an emergency. We established this fund in our fifth year and have kept it in reserve. We established the reserve through an annual operational surplus over several years.
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We intend to grow an endowment over time in order to ensure long-term financial viability for TCS and in order to have resources available should we be in a situation that requires funding beyond our budget. This is our way of securing the school’s future. We have begun to grow an endowment.
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Most schools run annual campaigns regardless of need and alongside regular capital campaigns. It is the recommended practice by financial consultants in order to establish a “culture of giving” on an ongoing basis. We believe that this is an unhealthy mindset. We have been aggressively opposed to a culture where students are selling things from school or where we have regular fundraising events and galas wasting time on activities that don’t advance the school’s mission. The TCS board has always believed that there are better uses of the head of school’s time than fundraising. The vision has been to “charge what it costs” and only fundraise if and when a major capital need arises. We have never conducted a fundraiser in the school’s history and we are thankful for that. It is a testimony to God’s provision and the school’s good faithful stewardship of resources.
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In order to achieve the operational surplus and meet annual goals, we have been committed to high levels of systemization, lean administration, and frugality in spending.
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We have tried to have a simple and clear charging structure. We have tried to avoid scenarios where there are hidden costs everywhere. For the most part, families pay for tuition and that is it.
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All of the principles above have been in place in order to serve the goal of affordable tuition. We have worked hard to keep the cost down while still working to maintain a surplus with no fundraising.
Our Current Financial Position
& Current Need
By God’s grace, TCS has established and maintained financial health since our earliest years. We currently have 18 months of operational reserve. We would like to preserve and protect those funds as a safety net and also as the base for our long-term institutional endowment. The reason we are asking the community to give now is fourfold:
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We are working to secure a long-term home for our Rhetoric School (The Faith Center). In order to secure this facility, TCS is obligated to contribute $350,000 towards the extensive building renovations. This amount represents a fraction of the total renovation cost; the remainder of the cost is being covered by the host church.
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Prior to this school year, TCS has charged an additional fee for our fine arts Eloquium program. This fee served as a significant source of income for the school. We made the decision for this school year to integrate the fine arts program into the core academic curriculum without increasing the tuition fee. This choice was made due to the concurrent rise in tuition caused by economic inflation, and we wanted to avoid a sudden, substantial increase in tuition costs for families, especially those not previously opting into Eloquium. Instead, we decided to implement this change without adding extra tuition, with the intention of recouping the lost revenue gradually over several years through reasonable tuition increases. This approach was designed to make tuition more affordable for families. The financial impact of this change resulted in an approximate revenue loss of $450,000.
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TCS has committed to increased security measures. We are beginning to plan for longer-term facilities upgrades that could be costly, but for now, we simply need to cover the costs of enhanced security measures, including armed officers. We added armed officers last spring, which was a new addition and new expense for our school. These costs are not currently accounted for in tuition charges (again, this is due to the year of high inflation). Until we are able to include these security expenses in tuition, we need to recover this expense. The annual expense for our armed officers is $120,000.
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We intend to grow a scholarship endowment rather than funding scholarships from our annual income. Our hope is that every family who wants a TCS education will be able to access one. Our initial goal is to raise $350,000 for this endowment which is a fraction of our ultimate goal to see all scholarships 100% funded from this endowment.
In order to acquire a long-term Rhetoric School campus, deliver on a fine arts and elective program, provide enhanced security, and establish a scholarship endowment, we would like to raise $1.3 million this fiscal year.
How to Give
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Recommended Giving
$835/student
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Above and Beyond Giving
Large donations will help us reach short and long-term goals
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Grateful Giving
Every dollar is significant and communicates your gratitude for TCS
Please consider giving generously. We have not asked for donations in 15 years, but we are asking now. For those with the means, we would like for you to consider making a substantial gift. For others, we would like for you to consider at least giving what you would have paid for Eloquium, which you are currently receiving for free (a $675 value per student). Also, we would like for you to consider paying your part of campus security for one year ($160 per student). If everyone contributed $835 per student, this would make a significant impact towards our goal. But of course, any gift, of any size, is meaningful and appreciated. You might consider encouraging your children to give as well.
We are so very grateful for every dollar you are led to give. If you would like to proactively schedule a meeting with Mr. Anderson to discuss giving, please contact Rebekah.Fong@tchouston.org.
When you are ready to give, here are your options:
Give Online (preferred)
Give by Mail (7941 Katy Freeway #110, Houston, Tx, 77024)
For other unique gifts or methods, contact catha.jaynes@tcshouston.org
Please designate gifts as “TCS Campaign: Unrestricted.” If you would only like to have your gift directed towards one of the four categories, you can designate as such on the online form or your physical check (The New Rhetoric Campus, The New Electives and Fine Arts Program, Increased Security, Scholarship Endowment). Since TCS is a 501(c)3 non-profit, gifts are tax deductible.
