At Phil-Mont Christian Academy we have been fulfilling our mission of providing students with an excellent education from a consistent Christian world-and-life view since 1943. True to the original vision of our founders, including Dr. Cornelius Van Til, we remain committed to upholding the Bible as the living core of the Academy’s program by ensuring that every subject in our curriculum is taught from a distinctly Christian perspective and in relation to the Word of God. From the classroom to the chemistry lab, on the playing field and the stage, our beliefs are central to the pursuit of excellence.
This dedication to excellence is supported by a faculty composed of committed Christians, 47% of whom hold advanced degrees, and whose average tenure with Phil-Mont is 13 years. Our small class sizes and 10:1 student-teacher ratio ensure that each student gets the attention he or she requires in order to excel academically. The results speak for themselves: 98% of our graduates go on to four-year colleges, with 75% receiving at least one award or scholarship, and 50% graduating as members of the National Honor Society.
Our academically rigorous, college-prep program is complemented by extensive co-curricular activities, in which 80% of our students participate. These activities include Fine Arts, Performing Arts, and Athletics. In recent years our student athletes advanced to state tournaments in Varsity Basketball, Cross Country, and Track and Field. We currently compete in 8 Varsity sports in PIAA Class A.
Perhaps the greatest evidence of our success, however, lies in the generations of graduates who have gone forth into the world as thoughtful, responsible, and biblically literate stewards of God’s gifts and callings.
We hope you will prayerfully consider the Lord’s will about making the life-changing experience of a Phil-Mont education available to your most precious charges.
Mission, Vision, & Values
The mission of Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy is to provide excellent academic education from a consistent Christian world-and-life view for the children in Christian families.
The vision of Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy is to train ambassadors and disciples of Christ who are thoughtful, responsible, and biblically literate stewards of God’s gifts and callings.
The Mission and Vision of Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy are fulfilled according to the following values:
- Phil-Mont is committed in all matters of faith and life to the Bible as the inerrant and infallible word of God.
- Phil-Mont subscribes to the Reformed system of doctrine as contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Confession of Faith (Philadelphia Baptist Confession). Accordingly, Phil-Mont acknowledges Christ as the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the Sovereign Ruler over all of life, and the Redeemer of sinful mankind.
- The Bible gives primary responsibility to parents to bring up their children in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Phil-Mont does not operate in the parents’ place; rather, it functions as the parental agent, with authority to act in the parents’ absence and in voluntary cooperation with them. Phil-Mont expects parents to assume responsibility for the behavior of their children. (A Christian family will be defined as a family with a profession of faith from at least one parent/guardian).
- God commands that His children develop fully in every part of their lives (Genesis 1:26-28). They should become biblically responsible citizens within their cultures and lead those cultures into deeper awareness and understanding of Jesus Christ as the Lord of culture. Phil-Mont produces students who demonstrate godliness, think biblically, and are ready to respond to God’s calling.
- Students are prepared to articulate a Christian world-and-life view in the university setting or wherever God may call them. Phil-Mont focuses on preparing students for college using classic liberal arts curricula.
- Phil-Mont upholds high standards of academic integrity. Students are expected to perform to the best of their God-given abilities.
- Phil-Mont supports the faculty in their carrying out the school’s vision by providing the necessary tools for such an endeavor, including effective leadership, appropriate organizational systems, and opportunities for professional and spiritual development. The faculty demonstrate a mastery of their academic discipline, a knowledge of educational methodology, and spiritual maturity in their interaction with students and families.
- Phil-Mont upholds biblical standards of respect and behavior, which should be reflected in the lives of students, parents, faculty, staff, and board.
- The atmosphere of Phil-Mont is characterized by loving relationships in recognition of and in response to God’s grace in individual lives and in His sustaining of the school.
- Phil-Mont serves Christian families within the Philadelphia and southeastern Montgomery County community, acknowledging and supporting its demographic diversity.
- Co-curricular programs enrich the students’ education and are delivered in a high-quality and effective manner.
- All students are expected to participate in service opportunities as an integral part of the student experience.
Concepts of Education
It is with great joy we bring the light of Christ into the realm of educating His children. We are an academy in which the Reformed outlook on life weaves through our principles and practices. This page further explains this perspective and its desire of having every aspect of life fall under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
We believe and want the children attending Phil-Mont to know that God gives us every word found in the Bible. We want them to understand that they have the actual Word of God in their hands and that it is the supreme authority. We desire to see the children attending Phil-Mont accept the word of God and obey it. We believe that the strength of God’s word in the lives of the students gives them a foundation from which they can test all ideas that come their way.
We want our students to develop their concept of who God is solely from Scripture. We recognize that God reveals Himself to us and that He is a Holy God, to be reverently feared and held in joyous awe. At Phil-Mont we gladly portray the love and goodness of God, especially through His act of giving us a Savior. As the students mature through their years at Phil-Mont, they will grow in their understanding that we worship one God, and that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They will learn that God created all things out of nothing and that He maintains and oversees His creation. He indeed preserves and governs over all creatures, including mankind.
We emphasize the concept of promises (covenants) that God makes with His people. For example, God entered into a covenant with Abraham and promised to be Abraham’s God and the God of Abraham’s descendants for the generations to come. We continue to rely on this promise of God to us, to our children, and to our children’s children. God’s covenants are binding and we acknowledge that the breaking of a covenant, such as the one in which Adam originally sinned, results in consequences. We also desire that the students recognize the good news of the promise of grace in Christ for all of God’s children through the generations.
We teach children that when Adam fell, we all fell. The seed of sin was planted in each of us at that time. We believe that the Fall has tainted every aspect of our human experience–both physically and spiritually. We suffer as a result of the fall. Because sin permeates our very beings, we are not able to please God without His saving grace. Wonderfully, God chooses to set each of His children free from the curse of sin. He knows the future because He has planned it and uses it for His glory and honor.
We acknowledge each member of God’s family (including our children) is an heir to the wonderful effects of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. While we were born sinful with no prospect of hope in ourselves, a child of God is now beautifully grafted into the branch of Life with all the other children of God. We believe that Christ paid for our sins and we have a new life to live for Him. As a result, we have a hope for the resurrection of the body and for an everlasting relationship with the Lord Jesus.
We want the children who attend Phil-Mont to know that God has power over every thought, word, desire and experience they have, no matter how they feel. We desire that all students recognize the shallowness of the world’s concept of independence and see dependence on Jesus as King of their lives to be the superior desire. It is also important to us that our students recognize that God calls them to be students and that he will ultimately call them to a life’s vocation. We believe it is vital for the children to understand God’s desire for man to have dominion over the animals and to explore, discover and subdue the earth to the glory of God its Maker. We believe Christian parents are commanded to teach their children diligently and not to conceal from them the praises of the Lord or His strength and wondrous works. We believe God’s children will put their confidence in Him and not forget his amazing works while keeping His commandments. We believe that by delegated authority, our teachers stand in loco parentis, cooperating with parents in the endeavor of passing along a Christ-centered world-view. With this influence, we believe children will come to interpret life and the world in the light of Scripture, to the glory of God and to the benefit of His Church as well
Confessions & Bylaws
Phil-Mont Christian Academy, in it’s board, faculty, and staff hold to these confessions and work according to these bylaws.
Distinctively Christ-centered education
What makes an education at Phil-Mont distinctive among other schools promoting Christ-centered education?
While you can identify some of the philosophical distinctives in our Mission, Vision and Values, the emphasis found on a day-to-day basis centers in the way we view people.
- At Phil-Mont we practice a personal passion for Jesus Christ in our own lives and we endeavor to communicate that same passion in the lives of our students. This personal passion seeks to reach beyond an allegiance to a particular church or denomination and into the broader community. We seek to have our young people know God, love God, and prepare to serve God in their everyday living.
- The atmosphere of Phil-Mont is characterized by loving relationships in recognition of and in response to God’s grace in individual lives. Phil-Mont teachers demonstrate a genuine care and love for their students. Our commitment reaches beyond the teaching of course content and into their hearts and lives.
- Admissions at Phil-Mont focuses on discipleship. A Phil-Mont education is open to students from families in which at least one parent has a credible profession of faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Our role is to partner with those parents and with the discipleship efforts of area churches to help raise young people committed to honoring God every day.
How do we measure program effectiveness at Phil-Mont?
Phil-Mont believes the importance of academic excellence is tied to greater considerations than merely test scores. We believe it is important to seek to learn much about the world not simply in order to get into a good college or get a good job. Rather, we learn about the world in order to do the tasks that were given to us as a privilege and responsibility by God at the time of creation. We are to “subdue the earth and rule over it.” We become the caretakers of God’s creation to use for His purposes and glory and to enjoy as His gift to us. At Phil-Mont a broader picture of education includes academics, but also training in worldview thinking and biblical character development. Therefore, we measure program effectiveness using the following criteria:
Academic Achievement
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”Gen. 1:28
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Prov. 1:7
- Standardized testing scores show Phil-Mont students at an average of 1-2 years ahead of national norms.
- Advanced Placement students consistently achieve scores sufficient to qualify them for academic credit at the college level.
- The percentage of graduates enrolling at 4 year colleges and universities of choice is 98%.
Worldview Thinking
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.Rom. 12:2
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor. 10:5
- Regular prayer, scripture memorization, chapel services, devotionals and godly modeling of the Christian life are important aspects of a Phil-Mont education.
- Annual evaluations of students include reports of demonstrated worldview thinking.
Character Development
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Tim. 4:12
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom. James 3:13
- Community service hours are required of each of our graduates as part of training for continuing service commitments within the communities in which they will live.
Phil-Mont's Board of Trustees
The By-Laws of Phil-Mont Christian Academy provides that the Academy’s mission is “to provide excellent academic education from a consistent Christian world-and-life view for the children in Christian families.” This mission is entrusted to a Board of Trustees. Each meeting of the Board of Trustees begins and ends with prayer, and includes a brief devotional prepared by one of the Trustees. Between meetings, business is conducted by the Executive Committee. Other Committees (e.g., Finance, Facilities, and Fundraising) meet regularly and report to the full Board. Discussion of these reports, and any reports submitted by the Head of School or other administrators, is one of the main activities at the Board’s meetings.
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9
Meetings of the Board of Trustees often involve discussion and action related to personnel issues, confidential matters, and matters under consideration but not ripe for public dissemination. Being mindful of its obligations to be good stewards of Phil-Mont, the Board cannot make public postings about such matters. When appropriate, however, the Board will address them in letters to the Phil-Mont community or Town Hall meetings.
While the Board welcomes input and feedback about the school, academic and disciplinary decisions affecting individual students are the purview of the administrative staff and faculty, not the Board.