Dear LCA Families,
I recently received a communication from ACSI, one of the Christian educational memberships that the school maintains, to announce that Cardus, a non-partisan think tank dedicated to clarifying the ways in which society's institutions can work together for the common good, has released the Cardus Education Survey (CES). This comprehensive survey seeks to understand the U.S. portion of school-sector influence on a range of academic, spiritual, cultural, civic, and relational outcomes for graduates.
The survey, conducted in 2023, examines the lives of a nationally representative sample of high school graduates, ages 24 to 39, across five sectors: traditional public schools, Protestant Christian schools, Catholic schools, nonreligious independent schools, and homeschooling. The CES is unique because it uses a nationally representative sample and controls for graduates’ background differences, which means that it can measure the difference that specific types of schools make.
Some key takeaways include:
- Faith formation is the domain with the strongest evidence for school-type effects, with a clear benefit to respondents who graduated from Protestant schools or were homeschooled. These graduates are much more likely to report believing in God and life after death, as well as engaging in religious practices (regular prayer, Bible reading, attending weekly religious services), feeling God’s presence regularly, and agreeing that it is important for parents to teach their children about religious beliefs.
- When it comes to perceptions of their high school experience, graduates of Christian schools were significantly more positive than public school graduates about their schools as close-knit communities, their relationships with teachers, and their preparation for academic success in a postsecondary setting, as well as for success in a job or career.
- Along with Catholic school graduates, Christian school graduates are more likely than public and nonreligious independent school graduates to affirm that it is “very important” to have a job that provides an opportunity to be directly helpful to others.
- When it comes to civic outcomes, Christian school graduates are significantly more likely to volunteer than all other sectors.
This information validates the outcomes of Christian education that we value as LCA families and LCA educators who commit their resources of time, talent and treasure to provide for our students. We are humbled to see the real, hard-earned results of the mission we commit ourselves to each day.
Celebrating God’s faithfulness,
Kevin Mosley
Head of School
Legacy Christian Academy is Frisco's preeminent Pre-K through 12 Christian school committed to educating students in a college preparatory environment balanced in academics, athletics, and fine arts–all within the context of a biblical worldview. For more information on Legacy, visit our admissions page.