Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy is a public, college-preparatory charter school in Rutherford County, North Carolina, founded in 1999 and based on the classical curriculum. TJCA partners with families to educate students in grades K-12 in the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, thus graduating thoughtful, articulate young adults who are prepared for college and for a lifetime of citizenship and active intellectual inquiry.
TJCA is located on two campuses: a grammar school (K-5) campus in Forest City, NC and a middle school (6-8) / high school (9-12) campus a few miles away in Mooresboro, NC. As part of TJCA’s 2020 Vision, in November 2019 the school broke ground on an exciting new building project that included a new high school, significant renovations to some parts of the existing middle school and high school buildings, and some new athletic facilities. Staff and students moved into the new high school building and gymnasium in early 2021, renovations for the existing facilities are underway, and the new athletic fields are nearly completed. TJCA serves approximately 1,365 students in grades K-12 in the three schools: grammar school (grades K-5 with approximately 600-650 students); middle school (grades 6-8 with approximately 350-400 students); and high school (grades 9-12 with approximately 350- 400 students). Students come from approximately eight North Carolina counties with most students hailing from Rutherford, Cleveland, Polk, and McDowell counties. Admission is through a public lottery system that promotes equal opportunity for all, and TJCA does not discriminate based on
disability, race, color, gender, national origin, or religion.
The total number of employees is approximately 140, including approximately 80 faculty members. TJCA is accredited by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools. Academically, TJCA is a high performing school that offers a challenging college preparatory curriculum as described above. Extracurricular activities include a number of music, drama, and arts programs and activities as well as a number of student clubs. TJCA offers 18 athletic teams in 13 different sports for men and women, and competes in the 1A classification of the NC High School Athletic Association. Most of the high school sports are also offered at the middle school level.
TJCA is governed by a Board of Directors which consists of 15 members. The members of the self-appointing board include a mix of parents and community representatives. Two of the members are teacher representatives, elected by the teachers, and serve two-year terms. The school also has the Thomas Jefferson Community Education Foundation, a separate but related 501c3 organization.