The Good Soil Report
In an effort to better understand the academic and life outcomes of graduates, the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) commissioned a study with the University of Notre Dame to compare outcomes of ACCS alumni with those of their peers at public, secular private, Catholic, evangelical Christian, and religious homeschools. The product of that study was The Good Soil Report (https://classicaldifference.com/good-soil/).
The results of this comparative study noted profound differences between the outcomes for different alumni groups. Notably, these differences remained even when removing external factors like lifestyle and upbringing. Alumni of ACCS schools didn’t just have better academic outcomes—they had better life outcomes as well. Below are some direct excerpts from The Good Soil Report that represent some of its key findings:
Study Findings
- ACCS alumni are more prepared academically, more traditional in their views, and think more independently than those from other school backgrounds.
- In our communities, ACCS alumni are the best prepared academically, more than double the next highest group. ACCS alumni score higher on the SAT than their peers. Additionally, ACCS alumni, as post-college adults, believe they were well prepared by their ACCS school. Notably, they believe this in greater numbers than do preparatory school alumni.
- ACCS alumni think and live in a markedly different way than their peers from other educational models. Nearly 90% of them attend church at least 3 times monthly, and they participate in other church activities at a higher rate. They are 2.6 times more likely to pray alone and 6.7 times more likely to be readers.
- This study showed that ACCS alumni were more grateful, more trusting, and lived with purpose. And, they viewed suffering in the context of God’s plan. They had more and closer friends.
- ACCS alumni influence their communities in conservative and Christian ways.
Graphs summarizing the findings of the report are shown below. For a more detailed look into the findings, we invite you to review and download The Good Soil Report PDF: