Providence Christian Academy

410 Dejarnette Lane

Murfreesboro, TN 37130

25 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 30, 2025

This school was a huge disappointment. First of all, most of the top staff are fake nice—similar to Joel Osteen. It’s not about the students; it’s about how much money they can get out of you. At $16,000 per year, your child will still experience bullying and be exposed to the same issues as in any public school—but with a hefty price tag.Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere because once you sign the contract, you are obligated to pay the full tuition, even if your child is no longer attending.
Submitted by other on October 30, 2024

Staff seems to care more about protecting their “culture” or image rather than providing students with resources they need. Additionally the administration has been known to be heavily involved in students personal lives. Students have been expelled for drinking/smoking off school grounds. The administration here makes tumultuous efforts to remove any student that does not reflect “PCA culture”. Unless the students parents are large donors, which in that case your child will get nothing but a slap on the wrist. The unfair treatment between students is astonishing, most students are children of faculty and staff members as well as large donors of the school which seems to grant them an exemption from any consequences. Unless you’d like to be treated unfairly I would not recommend this school for your child, as it is very political. It is a horribly toxic environment that will do anything necessary to maintain their image even to the detriment of their own students. The schools administration has time and time again actively worked against the very things they claim to stand for. PCA has and will compromise your child’s safety, health, and education in order to preserve their image and appear as superior Christians to the outside world. They use Christianity in a way that is manipulative and judgmental. The only programs given resources or respect are athletic ones, and even then almost all of it is poured into basketball. All in all this school has already done so much damage to many people I know so please, DO NOT send your children here.
Submitted by parent on April 18, 2024

We have been at PCA for 2 years and my kids absolutely love it. As a parent I see my kids growing academically, socially, and spiritually. The teachers challenge the kids to be the best they can be. The school counselors are available to help kids as they figure out all of those feelings inside, how to interact with one another, and how to deal with conflict. There is a lot of love and understanding for the kids. No school is perfect but PCA is as close to it as a school can be that is run by humans :) A big part of a successful school is parental engagement and that is something that PCA expects, supports, and fosters.
Submitted by parent on October 31, 2023

The headmaster and board members are only concerned with money and control. What is listed as a classical Christian academy is neither classical or Christian. If you want see what’s important to them, look at all the money poured into athletics. The fine arts are an after thought and if you’re not giving lots of money, so is your kid.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2023

I'm sure this is a wonderful school for many, but not for us. During our initial tour, we met the music director. My daughter told him that she was a drummer and interested in the after school jazz band. He convinced her to play something on the spot, so she did. I asked when tryouts were, and he stated, "She just tried out! She's in!" She held on to that and even had her drum instructor switch to teaching her jazz. When we arrived to pick up her schedule and orientation, we saw the music director again. My daughter told him that she was excited about the jazz band. He looked at her schedule and said, "you chose art as an elective. We reserve jazz band for people in the band class. Also, there are two other boys that play drums that have been at this school for a while." Needless to say, this crushed her. I am extremely disappointed with the lack of character that the music director displayed which hurt my daughter.The second issue is that we think the school needs more inclusion with special needs kids. My daughter shared with us that in class, a kid made a joke about autistic kids. The teacher thought the joke was funny and laughed. This deeply upset my daughter because we have a special needs child in our extended family.Also, be aware that you are financially responsible for the entire semester even if your child only attends for a day and a half. They will also charge a $200 withdrawal fee, with no exception.If you are considering PCA, please thoroughly investigate it beyond the overly-cheerful tour and pray on it to ensure it is the right school for your child before committing.
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2023

Our kids have been at PCA for 5 years and we love it. The teachers are fantastic and pour into the kids. Class sizes are small and manageable and lend to more one-on-one interactions. Chapel every week is wonderful. They encourage parents to be involved and plan fun family events on a regular basis. From our experience, poor behavior is handled effectively but also kindly. We love the Classical learning model and believe we have seen a difference in our kids because of it. It is not a perfect school as those do not exist but we feel it is by far the best in the area and are thankful to be there.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2022

Do not miss out of you are looking for a Christian motivated school. PCA is dedicated to teach students to become well-rounded and respected young men and women.
Submitted by student on February 09, 2022

School is school, and honestly, bullying is going to occur everywhere you go, there's not much to do about that. But over the years that I have attended (2013-present) I've noticed the bullying has died down. People are still snobby, yes, but it's private school. Besides a few bullies, far more of the students that I know are encouraging and cool people, you just have to find the right ones. The strong community element is wild. I know people who have transferred here from Blackmen, MTCS, LCA, etc and they never want to leave. Now yes there are some issues, every school has their fair share, but staff here are quick to commit to fix these issues. And for one thing, the teachers care. I know so many who feel privileged and would love to work through things with you if you're lost in their own time, and I also know many whom you can feel comfortable to go to for advice not even school related. The homework can be challenging and a lot but there are study halls and opportunities to work on it through the day. The new building is super nice, although it gives me the feeling the middle school could use a tad bit of remodeling. My only remark is if they're going to suspend someone in my grade for a whole semester, they might as well not ask them back! Not sure why they did! But that's okay. :)
Submitted by other on January 11, 2021

If I could give zero stars, I would. My child was the opposing player and punched by a PCA student on the basketball court. The PCA administration has yet to contact or reach out to me in regards to this incident whatsoever. I guess they’re too compelled to guard their “reputation”, rather than taking appropriate actions as human beings.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2019

No, overall my personal experience and several of my friends experiences where not positive at all.
Submitted by parent on December 28, 2018

What was once an exceptional school has careened over a cliff in spectacular fashion. This school suffers from arrogance and elitism from the administration and board down. They have no ability to control students in class and resort to group punishments and peer pressue to try to reign in misbeavior in class. When that failed they implemented a Draconian demerit system. Dress code is very strict, unless you have a parent on staff or on the board. ‘’Friendships’’ that your child makes at this school only last as long as you remain at the school. Expect at least a 6% average increase in tuition every year. Avoid this toxic school.
Submitted by parent on October 26, 2018

Fantastic! 9 years in and worth every penny!! Our older 4 children attended public school and nothing compares to PCA education and family!
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2018

We have been at PCA for 9 years now. I was reluctant to pay for private school with many good schools available near by. However, it was one of the best decisions we have made. The faculty and staff pour into my children each day. There is a very positive spirit at PCA and the education has been phenomenal. The school is growing with recent announcement to add a separate High School building in the next 24 months.
Submitted by parent on March 11, 2018

Great school where children can grow both academically and spiritually.
Submitted by parent on November 20, 2017

Would NOT recommend this school under any circumstances. A few good teachers but the overall culture is very negative, judgmental and condescending
Submitted by parent on February 14, 2016

We absolutely love Providence! My children are receiving a very high quality education while being taught the Bible. It is amazing to see them grow academically AND spiritually. The faculty and staff are professional and loving.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2014

PCA is a quality school with high academic standards. They consistant produce test scores well above the national and local averages. The graduating seniors last year averaged $160k in scholarships. The teachers, leadership and parents work together to ensure academic, spiritual and personal goals of our children are met. This school like all schools are made of imperfect people and because of that it is not perfect. But it is excellent. There have been some squabbles in the past as evident by the posts below. The handful of folks that were upset left and sought school elsewhere. I am happy with the education, activities and sports that are available to my children. I love the friendly and welcoming environment. If you are considering private education for your children it is certainly worth the investment of time to look at PCA. As far as cost, PCA seems a bargain when compared to other classical schools in middle TN.
Submitted by parent on December 25, 2013

As a former public school teacher, I wanted my own child to receive a private school education. I've been impressed with my child's level of education for the last 4 years at PCA. Most teachers have a Master's Degree. A few disgruntled teachers left last year and since then the atmosphere has been so positive and joyful. My child is in the grammar school, but I noticed the new hires in the school of rhetoric (high school) have more classical experience than those that left and have been a wonderful addition. The front office staff has always been kind and helpful. I feel like they are going to love and protect my child while I'm not there.
Submitted by parent on August 03, 2013

Sadly the school has gone hill dramatically in the past few years. It had a reputation for solid academics, but lately test scores have been going down. Excellent teachers have left. They claim to follow a classical education model, but most of the teachers are not trained in that method.
Submitted by parent on July 31, 2013

Providence Christian Academy has a strange hiring process. They just hired a guidance counselor with a DUI charge against her while working as a school counselor.