# The Classical Academy High School (California)

Classical Academy High School (CAHS) is a public charter school located in Escondido, California. First enrollment began in 2006, offering grades 9 and 10. In 2007, 11th grades positions were open. Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year, CAHS offered grades 9-12. The Principal for CAHS is Dana Moen.
CAHS is part of a group of four charter schools; other are Coastal Academy, Classical Academy Vista, and Classical Academy Online.

## Program choices

CAHS offers 4 program choices for students:
* Studio: This program allows students to take all of their courses on campus Tuesday – Friday with a credentialed teacher.
* Three Day Workshop: This program allows students to take all of their courses on campus Tuesday - Thursday with a credentialed teacher.
* Virtual: This program allows students to take all of their courses virtually with a credentialed teacher.
* Five Day Independent Study: This program allows students to take their courses at home under the direction of their parent with the support and accountability of a credentialed teacher.
Students may also blend between the programs as well as take concurrent enrollment at the community college.

## Academics

A wide range of college prep, honors, Advanced Placement, and elective classes are available for students to choose from. As of 2024, current Advanced Placement courses include Psychology, Literature, Language, World History, US History, Government, Physics, Biology, MacroEconomics, Environmental Science, Pre-Calculus, Calculus AB & BC, Statistics, Spanish, Art Seminar. Elective choices at CAHS include courses such as: Art, Photography, Photoshop, Graphic Design, Journalism, Drama, Choir, Play Production, Guitar, Band, Audio Production, Video Production, Stagecraft, Woodshop, Creative Writing, Robotics, Synthetic Biology, ASB-Leadership, Work Experience, Office/Teacher's Aide, Psychology, Life Skills, Emotional Mastery, and Keyboarding. Students also have the ability to take elective classes at a local community college or through the local Regional Occupation Program.
The majority of the courses in the 4-day Studio program are accelerated, wherein a year's worth of content is covered in 18 weeks and students take only 3-4 courses at a time. Courses that meet for a full 36 weeks include all levels of math, Advanced Placement courses, physical education, and some of the elective classes. The majority of courses taken in the 3-day Workshop, Virtual, and Independent Study programs follow a more traditional, 36 week schedule.
The average class size is 25-30 students.

## Mascot

The official mascot for Classical Academy High School is the Caiman.

## Sports

CAHS is a member of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and participates in the Coastal Conference. CAHS offers the following sports for the 2024-25 school year:
* Fall: Football, Girls Flag Football, Girls Volleyball, Boys Beach Volleyball, Boys Water Polo, Cross Country, Girls Tennis and Girls Golf
* Winter: Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys and Girls Soccer, Boys and Girls Wrestling, Girls Water Polo, Roller Hockey and Mountain Bike
* Spring: Baseball, Softball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Beach Volleyball, Boys and Girls Lacrosse, Track & Field, Swim & Dive, Boys Tennis and Boys Golf
The Boys' Golf team brought the very first league title to CAHS in 2011-12. The Boys' soccer team won the league championships in 2012 and 2013. The Girls' Varsity Volleyball team brought home the CIF Championship banner in 2013. In the last couple of years, the Caimans have continued to bring home several championships: Football won CIF and State in 2022, Boys Basketball won CIF in 2022, and the following sports won CIF in 2023-24: Girls Flag Football, Boys Water Polo, Boys Cross Country, Girls Water Polo, and Boys Golf.

## Controversies

In 2023, after reviewing recent lawsuits against other school districts, the school revoked its policy prohibiting staff from disclosing the gender identities of transgender students without that student's permission. The school's new policy allows school staff to decide whether to notify parents. The school issued a statement saying that its new policy strengthens support for students, but local LGBTQ-supporting organizations criticized the policy change.