Academics at ANC

An ANC education is all about balancing intellectual development with spiritual growth.

The goal is a useful and principled life in this world and to eternity. Small class size and a strong sense of community among students and teachers ensure that all students get the answers and support they need, and a careful balance of single-gender and coeducational classes provides the right environment for learning.

Visitors often remark on the family atmosphere at ANC. The faculty fosters an environment where questions are encouraged–both in and out of the classroom. Students describe teachers as approachable, helpful, and kind.

A Challenging Curriculum

Whether students have proved themselves academically or are still emerging, they can find a course of study that will challenge them at their level. All academic courses ask students to develop their reading comprehension and writing skills, and a premium is placed on learning to question and reason. The curriculum opens up in the later grades to gradually allow for a more individualized program.

To see course descriptions, view our Curriculum Guide page.

Accelerated Courses

There are plenty of opportunities for students who have developed their academic skills to challenge themselves at a higher level, whether it is accelerated, honors, or Advanced Placement courses. At ANC, we do not advertise Advanced Placement courses per se, although a number of courses either accommodate or require the AP Test. Our teachers have developed creative and unique accelerated and honors courses, and we are unwilling to lose that quality by teaching to a test.

Required Courses

In addition to the state-required courses, the curriculum includes some courses that are important to our mission as a school. Among them is a required religion curriculum all four years. These courses span a term and a half, and are designed to encourage students to ponder life's great questions by exploring the Christian teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Seniors take a full-year course in Human Anatomy. This course is not only provides science credits, but introduces students to the New Church concept that the functioning of the human body parallels the functioning of a person's spirit. To view courses, click the Curriculum Guide link to the right.