Enan Chediak Photography - Victory Christian Academy

In Carterville, Illinois, there is a small Christian School of about 14 students. With a small staff and few students, a day at Victory Christian Academy looks a lot different from a normal school. From dropping off students in the morning to picking them up later that day, VCA is fundamentally different. The principal of VCA, Tony Edmonds said, “We have students – some of them as far as Benton and Galatia. So, they have a pretty far drive.” But all of this is for a reason.

Pastor Rick Dawson founded Victory Baptist Church in November of 1984, and the Christian school started the following year. Tony Edmonds said of the school, “I always kind of describe us as kind of a hybrid home school. We have what we call a closed school. It’s really just an extension of the church, and so all of the students who come here are, for the most part, members of Victory Baptist Church.” Many of the students in the school are family. Most are friends. Some of the school’s students have parents who attended the school before them.

In addition to this, the school’s curriculum is a lot different from that of other schools. Elementary teacher Susanna Chediak said that, “Abeka tends to introduce topics way earlier than other schools.” “It focuses a lot more on what was once called the “R”s – reading, writing, arithmetic… There’s a lot of reading; in fact, they are reading in kindergarten… And we focus a lot on phonics in the early elementary years.” When asked about what some students do after graduation, Chediak stated, “We’ve had kids go off to Christian college. Our school has an institute that they can go to for Bible classes. Some of ours have gone on to nursing. A lot of them tend to go into things like construction and more hands-on skills, and a few tend to go into ministry. So, they’re kind of all over the place.”

But over the years, the goal of the Christian school has stayed the same. As Tony Edmonds stated, “...Really our goal is to glorify Christ and that works best when the family, the church, and the school are all on the same page.”

Victory Christian Academy sits empty before a full day of school on February 28, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Jason Mulholland drops off two of his children Naomi Mulholland (left) and Josiah Mulholland (right) before a day of school Wednesday, February 28, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

A Bible awaits students at Victory Christian Academy Wednesday morning February 28, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Kyle Smith (left), a teacher at Victory Christian Academy, opens the door for student Alijah Norman (right) on Wednesday morning, February 28, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Scott Smith turns pages of his Bible during Highschool Bible class at VCA Wednesday February 28, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Tony Edmonds passes out quizzes during class at VCA Friday, February 16, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Alyssa Raglin (left) and Alijah Norman play a game of volleyball during a break between classes at VCA Wednesday February 28, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

A group of students play Inky-Pinky-Ponky during recess at VCA Friday February 16, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Logan Smith (center) studies during class at VCA Wednesday February 28, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Alijah Norman (left) and Josiah Mulholland (right) talk to each other during a video lesson at VCA Friday February 16, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Logan Smith (left) and Zachary DePew (right) study during class at VCA Friday February 16, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.

Scott Smith watches a video lesson during Spanish class at VCA Wednesday February 28, 2024 in Carterville, Illinois.