Aristoi Classical Academy

Aristoi Classical Academy aims to graduate young men and women who seek the truth in all things; who understand that learning is a life-long pursuit; and who listen carefully, reason critically, communicate clearly, and write persuasively. We desire them to be honorable citizens who seek to improve their communities and the world rather than passively traveling along the road most followed. We desire to cultivate in our students the virtues of courage, moderation, and wisdom. We aim for them to be humble and magnanimous when dealing with others. We seek to help each student become who he or she is meant to be.

As Aristoi moves into its 23rd year, the School Board is solidifying goals, both long and short-term, at this pivotal moment in our school's history. Over the next five years, the school board will be strategizing plans that include our mission, vision, philosophy, and core beliefs.

ACADEMIC
Improve student performance on standardized testing in the areas of math and science by 5% during each of the next five years across tested grade levels.

ENROLLMENT
Increase retention of students, particularly at the middle school and high school grade levels.

FINANCIAL
Refinance 2016 bonds at a lower interest rate and finance the completion of the Morton Road Campus as a unified K-12 flagship site.

FACILITIES
Complete the flagship K-12 campus on Morton Road in Katy and replicate Aristoi on at least one site in the greater Houston area within the next five years. This new campus will start with grades K-4 and grow a grade per year until the campus is a complete K-12 school.

STAFFING
Improve retention of administrators and faculty who are committed to the classical charter school model by 5% during each of the next five years.

ACADEMIC GOALS
Hire additional math coaches for elementary and secondary students
Hire additional consultants and mentors for Singapore Math instruction who will also assist in alignment with TEKS
Develop culture and expectation that all students with a math grade below a B will attend tutoring

ENROLLMENT GOALS
Consistently communicate the school’s unique academic and cultural advantages
Improve collaboration among all departments to ensure that struggling students can succeed
Promote the benefits of an Aristoi education by tracking and reporting the success of Aristoi graduates
Expand student life options such as extra-curricular and club offerings

FINANCIAL GOALS
Refinance 2016 Bonds at a lower interest rate and finance the completion of the Morton Road campus as a unified K-12 Flagship site
Attract mission-oriented donors through the Director of Development, School Board, and Administration Outreach
Establish Value and Marketability of 11th Street Campus as a means of funding Morton Campus Development

FACILITIES GOALS
Complete the Flagship K-12 Morton Road Campus in Katy (See Financial Goal Section for Details)
Replicate Aristoi on at least one site in the Greater Houston area within the next 5 years, beginning with K-4 and growing to a complete K-12 campus.
Hire/Recruit Head of School for Greater Houston area replication campus
Open Greater Houston campus with K-4 classes in Fall 2020
Locate a second replication site within the next 5 years and secure TEA permission to open that campus (with actual opening to be accomplished by 2025)


STAFFING GOALS
Improve retention of administrators and faculty who are experienced in classical education by 5% during each of the next 5 years
Build relationships with colleges and universities with classics and liberal arts programs to consistently recruit top graduates
Develop robust mentoring program to guide/support new teachers to excellence at Aristoi
Hire full time guidance counselor who has strong relationships with top colleges and universities
Hire an alumni coordinator to track successes of Aristoi graduates and offer encouragement to graduates through college

Recognizing the central role of teachers in improving student outcomes, we have prioritized teacher retention across grade levels. We have strong campus and district leadership, providing instructional support and a shared vision of curriculum and instruction. Aristoi is building upon a strong humane letters program in the upper school. In addition, Aristoi is employing widely respected strategies to improve reading at the early elementary level. Our emerging programs in the visual and performing arts, along with physical education, align with our classical philosophy.

Aristoi has demonstrated consistent increases in enrollment over the past 10 years. Aristoi has hired a Director of Development to support growth effort, working in collaboration with our Marketing Department. To foster parental involvement, we have strong participation in PTO, Booster Club, and Dads’ group (“Watch DOGS”).

Aristoi has hired a well-known financial advisor, Masterson Advisors, which specializes in charter school funding. We have enjoyed steady growth in student enrollment, allowing us to fund a Director of Development in 2018 who secured $102,000 in eight months. Aristoi’s state financial rating is A+, with a score of 100%. Based upon a recent survey, 90% of parents indicated they planned to re-enroll their child in 2019-2020.

Having finished Phase One of Morton Road campus, the Aristoi team is better prepared for future construction projects. Aristoi has a new board member who is an expert in complex construction, providing insight into the logistics and practicality of building high-quality and economical facilities.

We have been successful in attracting top talent for leadership and teaching positions. Our philosophy of promoting teacher leaders from within the organization has been a central element of our teacher retention strategy.

Aristoi Classical Academy is a first-generation, tuition-free, public charter school. The school opened in 1996 as West Houston Charter School, with an emphasis on fine arts. The educational niche never really caught on, and the school was struggling academically and financially. By 2006, the school’s Kindergarten through 8th-grade enrollment was well under 200 and falling.

After careful deliberation, the 2006 school board voted to transition to a classical school model, an educational option previously available only in area private schools. Enrollment increased immediately as new families recognized the value of a tuition-free classical education. The school’s reputation began to change as it focused on delivering a challenging liberal arts curriculum.

In 2010, the K-8th grade charter school was renamed Aristoi Classical Academy. This open-enrollment charter school has become increasingly popular in the Katy community. In 2014, the school opened its first high school class with the addition of 9th grade. In 2018, the school celebrated its first graduating class. Aristoi Classical Academy served more than 900 K-12th grade students in the 2018-19 school year.

Today, students from Aristoi Classical have a record of distinctive performance on a range of assessments. Recognizing that many of the virtues of a classical education resist measurement, we are confident that our academic program helps students exceed performance targets on empirical measures.

The school board is solidifying goals, both long and short-term, to support the growing demand for high-quality classical education. In the coming years, Aristoi will be completing the build-out of its flagship site in Katy, Texas, and replicating the classical charter school model in the Houston-Cypress area. Over the next five years, Aristoi Classical Academy will implement strategies to improve performance on STAAR/EOC in math and science by 5% across tested grade levels, to maintain a waiting list at each grade level, to have 75 annual graduates, and to improve retention of administrators and faculty by 5%.

Aristoi’s school board and administration understand that there is not a one-size fits-all solution for every child but believe that classical education is the tool that can transform the lives of children, especially those from low-income communities and backgrounds. In order to give young people the opportunity to succeed Aristoi is working closely with community leaders and creating strategic goals to prepare students for a lifetime of success. Through scaled surveys, open-ended surveys with parents, teachers, and students, focus groups, classroom observations, and a Board retreat, the board has developed a balanced framework for distinctive and areas for improvement to measure impact on student success both inside and outside of the classroom.