Pensacola Christian Academy
Encyclopedia
| Address | 10 Brent Lane |
| Town | Pensacola, Florida Pensacola, Florida Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752... 32503 |
| Established | 1954 as Pensacola Christian School 1994 renamed Pensacola Christian Academy and moved to current location |
| Type | Private |
| Religion | Evangelical Christian |
| Students | Coeducational |
| Grades | K4 (preschool) to 12 |
| Accreditation | Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (FACCS) |
| Mascot | Warrior |
| Colors | Red and Black |
| Website | PCA website |
Pensacola Christian Academy (PCA) is a private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
elementary through high school institution located in Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, USA.
History
The school was founded as Pensacola Christian School in 1954 by Arlin Horton (who later established Pensacola Christian CollegePensacola Christian College
Pensacola Christian College is an unaccredited fundamentalist, Independent Baptist college in Pensacola, Florida, USA, founded in 1974 by Arlin Horton. The college is actively pursuing accreditation, and as of 7 November 2011 had been awarded candidate status with Transnational Association of...
) and his wife Beka. PCS began in a three classroom building, offering only three classes from kindergarten through second grade. One grade was added each year until the school reached 9th grade. In the early days PCS was one of the only schools with air-conditioned class rooms. Grades ten through twelve were added after the school was moved to a larger facility in the mid 1960s.
In 1994 PCS completed a new state-of-the-art facility located on Brent Lane in Pensacola. Following the move to the new facility Pensacola Christian School changed its name to Pensacola Christian Academy.
Program
PCA offers what it claims to be the "very best in Christian education." The school is accreditedEducational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
through the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools
Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools is an organization that accredits Florida's Christian schools. It holds teachers conventions and annual competitions for its member schools...
, an accrediting body for Christian schools. Class sizes are kept small to increase teacher student interaction. Since its inception the school has remained dedicated to using "traditional methods" such as phonics
Phonics
Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations...
for teaching reading
Reading education
Reading education is the process by which individuals are taught to derive meaning from text.Government-funded scientific research on reading and reading instruction began in the U.S. in the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, researchers began publishing findings based on converging evidence from...
and the art of cursive
Cursive
Cursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
for penmanship
Penmanship
Penmanship is the technique of writing with the hand using a writing instrument. The various generic and formal historical styles of writing are called hands, whilst an individual personal style of penmanship is referred to as handwriting....
. Although criticized by some, PCA begins teaching cursive form of writing as early as kindergarten. PCA believes that forming a firm foundation for the very basic skills is important for learning more advanced skills later in education and later in life.
PCA uses A Beka Books' home school program to supply home based education materials and offers education from a young Earth creationist perspective.
Associations
Pensacola Christian Academy is associated with Pensacola Christian CollegePensacola Christian College
Pensacola Christian College is an unaccredited fundamentalist, Independent Baptist college in Pensacola, Florida, USA, founded in 1974 by Arlin Horton. The college is actively pursuing accreditation, and as of 7 November 2011 had been awarded candidate status with Transnational Association of...
(a non-accredited institution), and is utilized extensively by the PCC
Pensacola Christian College
Pensacola Christian College is an unaccredited fundamentalist, Independent Baptist college in Pensacola, Florida, USA, founded in 1974 by Arlin Horton. The college is actively pursuing accreditation, and as of 7 November 2011 had been awarded candidate status with Transnational Association of...
Education Department as a training grounds in all PCC Education Majors. All PCC Education internships as well as many classroom observation practicums are held within the PCA facility.
The A Beka Books curriculum which is marketed to home schoolers
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
and private Christian schools throughout the world is named for the co-founder of the Pensacola Christian Academy, Beka Horton. The curriculum was developed within PCA and is the curriculum used solely by the school. A Beka Books textbooks are written from a conservative Christian
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
perspective and are available to home schoolers and Christian schools for purchase through the A Beka Books website.
In addition to A Beka Books, PCA also is affiliated with A Beka Academy, a home school system that uses the A Beka Books curriculum. The A Beka Academy features DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s of PCA teachers recorded while teaching live classes at PCA. All student test scores and grades for those enrolled in A Beka Academy are sent to and recorded at the A Beka Academy offices. On completion of the 12th grade, a home-schooled student of A Beka Academy may graduate.
Notable alumni
| Name | | Known for | | Relationship to Pensacola Christian Academy |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Hovind | Operator of Creation Science Evangelism | Graduate 1996 |