How the day is organized
Our four classrooms hold transitional kindergarten with kindergarten, grades 1 and 2, grades 3 through 5, and grades 6 through 8. A teacher keeps the same students for two or three years, and students work in grade-level groups within the room for subjects like math and reading. It's the arrangement that makes small class sizes mean something, and it has its own page: how multi-grade classrooms work.
What students study
| Religion | Bible history, catechism, and memory work in every grade. Pastor Werner teaches catechism to grades 7 and 8. |
|---|---|
| Language arts | Reading, penmanship, writing and creative writing, English grammar, spelling, vocabulary, literature, and poetry. |
| Mathematics | Math facts and elementary math through pre-algebra, Algebra I, and Geometry. |
| Science | General, life, physical, and earth and space science. |
| Social studies | Community, California history, U.S. history, world history, current events, and civics. |
| Spanish | Taught from kindergarten through 8th grade. |
| Creative arts | Music, theater and drama, art, and ukulele in grades 3 and 4. |
| Technology | Computer skills and typing on Chromebooks with Google Workspace, internet research, 3D design, and computer programming. |
| Physical education | Fitness, team sport skills, and individual game skills, with track and field skills taught in grades 1 through 8. |
How we know it's working
Students in kindergarten through 8th grade take NWEA MAP Growth assessments in the fall, winter, and spring. Teachers use the results to guide each child's instruction and to plan the curriculum, and the school shares how Reformation's grade-level averages compare with national averages. Our students typically score above the national grade-level mean, and families who leave for a new school because of graduation or a move report that their children arrive ahead of the standards there.
See the 2024-2025 MAP Growth comparison (PDF). Individual results are shared with parents, and you're welcome to ask about them on your tour.
Where graduates go
A K-8 school is judged by what happens in ninth grade, and our eighth graders leave prepared for a range of high schools. In recent years they have gone on to:
- California Lutheran Academy (our affiliated WELS high school)
- Cathedral Catholic High School
- Santa Fe Christian High School
- Christian Unified High School
- Maranatha Christian Schools
- The Rock Academy
- Foothills Christian High School
- Victory Christian High School
- St. Augustine High School
- High Tech High Schools
- School of Entrepreneurship and Technology
- SD Met High School
- Liberty Charter High School
- Scripps Ranch High School
- University City High School
- Clairemont High School
- Madison High School
Many graduates test out of freshman-level courses or into advanced placement courses at their new schools.
Beyond the classroom
Drama performances, Fine Arts, Forensics and Knowledge Bowl days with affiliated schools, Raiders athletics, field trips, and class trips for seventh and eighth graders are part of the program too. They're on the student life page.