About Us

Kolbe Academy was founded in 1980 by three families who were looking for a wholesome, academically challenging educational environment. Their ultimate goal was to raise generations of young Catholic citizens who could live and defend the Faith with pride and joy. They also wanted to move beyond the increasingly standardized approach to education offered by the public school system.

In 1987, several families wanted Kolbe Academy’s help homeschooling their own children, but they lived too far away to make the commute. That’s when Kolbe Academy’s “school at home” program was born. Offering education that is Ignatian in method, classical in content, and loyal to the Magisterium, Kolbe Academy continues to thrive.

Our Mission:

Dedicated to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, and virtue as the primary and prescriptive ends of education in the Catholic tradition, Kolbe Academy aids students in acquiring the skills of the liberal arts, assists in forming classically educated students to develop a mature intellect and cultivates openness to the call to holiness.

Our Philosophy & The Ignatian Method:

We are devoted to providing a philosophy and method of education that is thoroughly Catholic, that will form the whole individual—mind, soul and body—to renew the world with children and young adults with high educational, moral, civic and spiritual values.

Kolbe Academy has embraced the principle of subsidiarity—nothing should be done by a larger and more complex organization that can be done as well by a smaller and simpler organization—whereby you, as the parent, are charged with being the primary educator of your children. Our goal is to help you in fulfilling your sacred duty. This is in keeping with the dictum of Pope John Paul II that "the parents have been appointed by God Himself as the first and principal educators of their children...their right is completely inalienable" (Familiaris Consortio 40). You, as the teacher, have the flexibility to adapt your curriculum to best suit your student's needs.

Kolbe Academy's program relies on the Ignatian Method of education, which has been developed and refined for over 450 years. The focus of the Ignatian Method is formation, not information. The fundamental goal is to help parents lead their children to the knowledge and love of God. The Method helps the parents train the student's memory, understanding and will, so that the student can speak, write and act well in life, for the greater glory of God. This is accomplished through self-activity, mastery of progressively more difficult material, and formation of the will through conscientious application of study habits.

Loyal to the Magisterium:

Let orthodoxy be the least of your concerns. We understand the need to crown an education with theology, the queen of the sciences, as our educational edifice indeed has a lofty aim­—heaven itself. With Kolbe Academy, there's no need to worry about so-called "Catholic" resources of questionable orthodoxy. We use only excellent and faithfully orthodox religious instruction materials. Kolbe's staff is made up of faithful Catholic, experienced and dedicated individuals. The staff members all take the Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium and sign the Profession of Faith in the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

Why a Classical Curriculum:

Kolbe Academy's classically based curriculum focuses on studying the greatest spiritual, literary, artistic and cultural achievements of Western civilization by reading the original sources whenever possible. The classical curriculum, combined with the study of Latin and Greek, brings intellectual knowledge of the Faith into the heart by introducing the student to the great works of Christendom and the pre-Christian masterpieces that influenced and inspired Catholic Europe. The intent and purpose is to deepen and strengthen the student's commitment to Catholicism and move the student, in the spirit of the Ignatian principle of emulation, to accomplish great deeds himself. The classical curriculum is implemented in phases. We introduce younger students to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, to begin to build an awareness of God's preparations for the arrival of the Messiah. We revisit Greece and Rome in high school, along with the Medieval and Modern worlds. In high school, the literature and history courses go hand-in-hand: while reading The Iliad in literature, the student reads Herodotus' Histories; while reading the Chronicles of the Crusades in history, the student is also reading The Song of Roland in literature. It's about making connections between literature and history, between ancient and modern, between classical and Christian civilization.