Who We Are
Who We Are -
In response to a growing need in the community for a Bible-based, college preparatory Christian school, Trinity Christian Academy opened its doors in 1993 with only 10 elementary students under the leadership of school founder and long-time chief administrator, Dr. Marsha Barber. A school board was established, and Trinity began the process of receiving accreditation through the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).
A steadily growing enrollment marked the school's early years, as did the addition of first-rate facilities. In the fall of 2000, TCA enrolled its first senior class (of only 4 students!), and on May 24, 2001, four students were presented with diplomas at the school's first high school commencement ceremony. They became the first of a growing body of TCA alumni.
Growth continued, and in the fall of 2006, the school board announced plans for a new secondary building to accommodate increased enrollment. After four years of hard work, including the school's first capital campaign, construction began on the new secondary building in 2010. On August 26, 2011, middle and high school students walked through the doors of a new secondary building! Later that same school year, Barber Gym was completed in spring 2012. In January of that same semester, Dr. Barber retired and secondary principal Michael Skaggs assumed the role of Head of School.
In June 2014, the TCA school board approved the school's first five-year strategic plan, providing an even stronger foundation for generations of Eagles yet to come. Again in 2018, the school board launched a new strategic plan initiative to plan for the explosive growth of Trinity Christian and Parker County,
During the 2015/16 school year, Trinity Christian Academy earned dual re-accreditation through ACSI and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, making it one of the few private schools in our area to maintain dual accreditation and the only one with this particularly rigorous level of accreditation. In 2023, TCA earned accreditation renewal and will continue the tradition of excellence in all of its programs.
The TCA Board determined in 2018, with the blessing of 83 acres across from Bankhead Highway, to begin with a new campaign designed to provide an athletic complex for the school. The Grounded in Faith, Growing in Excellence Campaign has raised $5.3 million of the total $8.6 million planned for completion of the first phase, which is the TCA Football Stadium at the Ludwig Family Athletic Complex. The campaign is continuing as the Board and the school are committed to a debt-free building program.
In the spring of 2022, Dr. Steve Newby became the Interim Head of School with the Board making him Head of School in July of that year. Dr. Newby retired in May 2024 from TCA after serving as Elementary principal from 2017 to 2022 and Head of School from spring 2022 to May 2024.
In the summer of 2024, Craig Smith became the Head of School after a lengthy search by our TCA School Board. Mr. Smith became only the fourth Head of School in the 32-year history of the school.
TCA school leadership continues to work tirelessly to provide our students of all ages with an outstanding college-preparatory Christian education. As an institution that bears the name of Christ, the highest standards of programmatic excellence and student discipleship are our goals in all we do.