Haw River Christian Academy (HRCA) was founded in 2007 by a small group of parents who desired and were committed to providing their children with a faith based education complemented with rigorous academics. The group was inspired by Douglas Wilson who authored numerous books on classical Christian education, namely Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning, which was derived from British author Dorothy Sayer’s insightful 1947 essay, “The Lost Tools of Learning.” From this, they realized how integrating the stages of the medieval Trivium (Grammar, Logic/Dialetic, Rhetoric) and teaching it according to the natural developmental stages of children (Dorthoy Sayers’ essay) made perfect sense. They also strongly believed that any form of education is not neutral and therefore teaching all subjects within a biblical worldview is imperative. This is the educational philosophy that the founders desired to implement into a school setting here in Chatham County. Rockbridge Academy (MD), Cary Christian School (NC), and The Ambrose School (ID) guided these parents in the process of following the classical Christian model. 

HRCA launched its first year as a K-2 school with eight enrolled students (six kindergarteners and two second graders) in Rock Spring Baptist Church, where it resided for the first five years on Highway 15-501. The school relocated to Emmaus Baptist Church as a Junior Kindergarten-Eighth Grade school with 62 students in 2013. 

The foundation was laid for the Logic School phase (7th-9th), beginning with 7th grade, in the 2012-13 school year.  The school’s vision is to continue adding one grade per year until serving grades JK-12.