Academic Life

Koinonia Academy is a private Christian school that provides a strong Christian academic environment for grades K-12. The philosophy of Koinonia Academy is based on the gospel of Jesus Christ and on the principles of Christian wisdom.

Koinonia Academy is sponsored by the People of Hope, a charismatic, covenant community, established in 1977 and comprised of Catholics who live mostly in the Union, Somerset and Morris counties of New Jersey, and attend their local parish churches. The members of the People of Hope have made agreements on raising children for the Lord, i.e., with strong faith in the Lord Jesus and morally upright. Koinonia Academy supports parents in accomplishing this goal.

All students who attend Koinonia Academy and their parents are required to have participated in a “Life in the Spirit” seminar, and have experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit; this is essential for the students in order that they might fully enter into and participate in the Christian and charismatic life of the school. It is also essential for the parents, so that they can support and reinforce this spiritual life and the above-mentioned agreements in their homes.

Koinonia Academy has three major goals:

• To create an educational environment which supports the Christian values being taught at home by the parents.
• To assist parents in the formation of children and young adult men and women as mature Christians.
• To teach students to value their relationships with God and with one another and to understand the consequences of their actions.

Koinonia Academy consistently uses the following philosophy and approach to education:

• God is the source of all truth, beauty and goodness; therefore, we look to Him as the source of all that is taught at Koinonia.
• The basis of our curriculum is Holy Scripture, Roman Catholic Tradition, and the magisterium of the Catholic Church.
• Ours is a charismatic Christian spirituality.
• The curriculum of the elementary grades emphasizes a “back to basics” approach, where mastery of the basics of communication and computation is stressed.
• The secondary level curriculum offers preparation for college or entrance into the work force.
• Christian character in children is best formed through enjoyable hard work. Course material is made enjoyable, motivating children to learn. Course content is presented with students taking an active role; doing, not just watching.

Koinonia Academy is presently made up predominantly of Catholics, both Roman and Byzantine rites, and teaches basic Catholic doctrine in our Christian Character Formation, literature and history courses. In the past, we have had some Christian students of other denominations who have been graduated at the high school level.

All students, whether Catholic, or of other Christian denominations, are expected to fully participate in the charismatic prayer life, and to respect the traditional Catholic devotions practiced at Koinonia Academy.

Calendar and Academic Achievement

The overriding vision for and aim of Koinonia Academy is to honor Jesus Christ as Lord and to help parents train their children to take on and mature in the character traits of Jesus. The educational philosophy of Koinonia flows from this vision and gives direction to the establishment of its priorities, policies and practices. Thus, character development takes priority over academic achievement. This is not to minimize the value of the latter; rather, it is to put first things first, knowing that strong Christian character is essential to genuine "success" in all aspects of life.

Students who are peaceful, diligent, respectful, joyful, honest, and cooperative, invariably perform well in school, each to the level of his or her own ability. Children with good character are generally able to learn more in less time because their lives are in order.

This, along with an overall emphasis on the "basics" allows teachers to spend more time on direct instruction and far less time on correction of unruly behavior. As a consequence, the school-wide academic program is accelerated. One result of this overall acceleration is that seniors are ready to be graduated after 3½ high school years, giving them an opportunity to begin college work early, or to work and earn money to help offset future educational expenses.

While Koinonia Academy cannot offer some of the "extras" that well-funded public or private schools can, it offers an exceptionally sound program in all the essentials of a quality education. While public schools are required to provide classroom instruction for a minimum of 180 days, private schools do not have to adhere to this standard. Thus, Koinonia Academy can establish its own calendar based upon its vision, philosophy, and realistic expectations of what its teachers and students can accomplish in a given time frame.

The results of our "character first" approach have generally been excellent. Many Koinonia students have achieved high scores on national standardized tests, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test. A number of them have been named National Merit Scholars; several have been valedictorians and graduated summa cum laude from well-respected universities. A high percentage of Koinonia graduates have received academic scholarships to a variety of colleges and universities. More importantly, they have learned how to approach life and the world’s many challenges as disciples of Jesus Christ.