The New Upper School Experience

Covenant School is excited to announce that it has officially earned accreditation through the Society for Classical Learning (SCL), a national organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting classical Christian education. 

Following an extensive review process, the visiting accreditation team affirmed Covenant School as “established or thriving” across all eight accreditation standards, recognizing the school’s commitment to academic excellence, Christian formation, and long-term institutional health. The school now begins a five-year accreditation cycle with the Society for Classical Learning.

This accreditation is especially timely as the West Virginia Board of Education officially recognized the SCL as an approved accreditor in the state at their meeting on June 3.

Since the renewal of classical Christian education in the United States during the late twentieth century, two organizations have played a leading role in shaping and strengthening the movement: the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) and the Society for Classical Learning (SCL). Because Covenant School was among the early schools to join this movement at our founding in 1995, we have maintained deep and longstanding relationships with both organizations for decades. These partnerships have helped shape not only our philosophy of education, but also the systems, standards, and practices that sustain and strengthen our mission.

For many years, the ACCS served as the primary accrediting body for classical Christian schools, making accreditation through the organization a significant long-term goal for Covenant School and a major component of the strategic plan adopted in 2020. In 2022, Covenant School achieved full accreditation through the ACCS—an important accomplishment shared by only a small percentage of member schools nationwide.

More recently, the Society for Classical Learning—an organization long recognized for leadership development and training within the classical Christian movement—launched its own accreditation model centered on school flourishing. Built around eight core standards and eighty measurable indicators, the SCL process evaluates schools not only on academic quality, but also on Christian commitment, student formation, leadership, governance, culture, advancement, and long-term sustainability.

Because of our longstanding relationship with the SCL, Covenant School welcomed the opportunity to participate in this process as well. At its best, accreditation is not simply about accountability. It is an opportunity to invite trusted outside voices into the life of the school who can affirm strengths, identify blind spots, and help sharpen the mission for the future.

What emerged from the process was a powerful affirmation of the work God has been doing through Covenant School for more than thirty years.

In the opening pages of the report, the accreditation team reflected on the impact Covenant School has had not only on Huntington and the Tri-State region, but on the broader classical Christian education movement.

“The U.S. News & World Report may never be able to quantify the impact of Covenant School in Huntington, West Virginia,” the report stated, “but the annals of heaven are certain to. The SCL team gives great thanks to God in heaven for the blessing of Covenant School not only to this region but to classical Christian schools across the nation and beyond.”

Throughout the report, the accreditation team repeatedly highlighted the deeply Christ-centered culture of Covenant School. Evaluators observed that Christian faith is not simply taught in Bible classes, but woven into the rhythms of daily life through worship, prayer, Scripture, discipleship, and relationships. Students begin their mornings reading Scripture, singing, and praying together, while weekly chapel services invite the entire school community into worship and reflection. Faculty members were consistently described as mentors who care deeply for students’ spiritual growth and personal formation.

One of the strongest affirmations in the report concerned the character of Covenant students.

“The Society for Classical Learning accreditation team was especially encouraged by the 7–12th grade upper school students and their display of a genuine love for God, learning, and classical education,” the report noted. “It was heartening to witness young people being formed in accordance with the good, true, and beautiful.”

The team repeatedly commented on students’ kindness, gratitude, and joy. They observed young people who not only understood the ideas and texts they were studying, but who were being shaped by them.

“Care for the hearts and souls of students is clearly evident across the life of the school,” the report stated. Evaluators praised students for demonstrating both “a love for the great works and a sincere devotion to God” while expressing gratitude for a culture “grounded in what endures.”

Perhaps most encouragingly, the accreditation team found that students themselves understood and valued the education they were receiving. During interviews, upper school students articulated the benefits of a classical Christian education and described meaningful relationships with teachers who knew them personally and cared for them deeply. Remarkably, every upper school student interviewed even expressed a desire for their future children to one day receive the same kind of education they had experienced at Covenant.

The report also highlighted Covenant’s distinctly classical approach to learning. Evaluators praised classroom instruction that pursued more than information transfer, describing teaching that emphasized wisdom, virtue, wonder, and deep understanding.

“Classroom instruction demonstrated an orientation toward deep understanding and wisdom, as well as the training of the affections and the will, all within a highly relational common life,” the report observed.

Teachers were recognized not simply as instructors, but as mentors and models of wisdom. One administrator summarized this philosophy succinctly: “We believe teachers are themselves part of the curriculum.”

The accreditation team further commended Covenant’s faculty culture, describing a school-wide commitment to growth, learning, and professional development. Teachers regularly participate in book studies, conferences, graduate programs, mentoring relationships, and collaborative learning communities. Faculty members consistently described feeling supported, valued, and invested in by school leadership.

The school’s leadership also received high praise. The report specifically highlighted the collaborative culture cultivated by Dr. Hefner and the executive leadership team, noting the trust, accountability, and shared sense of mission evident throughout the organization.

“Dr. Hefner has cultivated an exceptional executive team who fully embody the mission and vision of the school and operate together with high levels of trust and accountability,” the report stated.

The team noted that the fruit of this leadership can be seen in strong enrollment growth, exceptional student retention, healthy faculty culture, and a school community characterized by meaningful relationships and shared purpose.

The report also praised the school’s commitment to beauty. Evaluators repeatedly commented on the thoughtful aesthetic environment Covenant has cultivated despite operating in leased facilities. From classroom design to artwork and shared spaces, the team noted the school’s intentional effort to create an environment that reflects the classical Christian pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty. We are thankful to Christ Temple Church for accomodating us in such meaningful ways.

While celebrating Covenant’s many strengths, the accreditation process also provided thoughtful recommendations for future growth. The report encouraged continued development of long-term strategic and financial planning, expanded leadership development and succession planning, increased student leadership opportunities, and continued cultivation of a student culture marked by attentiveness, responsibility, and accountability.

Importantly, these recommendations were framed not as corrections to a struggling institution, but as opportunities to help an already healthy school continue flourishing.

Ultimately, the accreditation process affirmed what many parents, alumni, faculty, and supporters have witnessed for years: Covenant School is a community where students are known, loved, challenged, and formed.

Most importantly, accreditation is ultimately about students. It reflects our continued commitment to forming students who love what is true, pursue what is good, and recognize what is beautiful—students prepared not merely for college or careers, but for lives of wisdom, service, and faithful citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

 As Covenant School celebrates this achievement, we also look forward with gratitude and renewed purpose. Accreditation marks both a recognition of faithful stewardship and an invitation to continue pursuing excellence for generations to come.

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