The History of Veritas Academy

Veritas Academy was established in 2012. Consistent with the classical Christian education model, the academy offers a high rigor learning experience for students. Faith is not separate from education, but an integral part of all academic inquiry. The distinctive goal for the academy is to equip the next generation for impact.

Founder

Susie Brooks was inspired to embark on this journey after becoming convinced that the essence of education should encompass goals that lead to the ultimate good for the whole society and that such “good” should be grounded in truth. Basic schooling must do everything it can to make good citizens who are able to perform the duties of citizenship with all the trained intelligence that each is able to perform. For the Christian educator, goodness is not based on human standards but on God’s standards.

Beginnings

In 2012, Susie connected with families and individuals who held the same convictions, and by 2014, together with a team of individuals committed to establishing a school that would combine high rigor academics with intentional discipleship, she began a search for an ideal location that met the basic requirements of safety and space. The main campus in North Branch, MN became the home of the school. However, unanticipated circumstances led to a 14-month delay in opening the school, a setback that resulted in significant losses, including the loss of families who had intended to enroll their children in 2014. We officially opened our doors to the first three students in Fall 2015 and by 2020, we had served 60 students from 37 families. These first five years taught us many lessons. Some of the key lessons learned were:

1. Families who choose Veritas value small class sizes (our average size is 8 students per class)
2. Parents enjoy the fact that their children have teachers who care about them
3. Parents want a curriculum that integrates Biblical values in all aspects of learning
4. Parents want to know that their children’s abilities will be honored and they would be placed based on their development as opposed to their age.

Today, the most important thing to us is that we love well. Veritas recognizes that each person has infinite worth and value, and as such, we go out of our way to let our students know that they are seen, loved, cared for, and protected. At the end of the day, all that matters to us is they know they have a Savior who loved them so much that he gave his very own life for them. We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).