Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tuition?
Trivium is a tuition-free, open-enrollment charter school.
What is the difference between classical and Trivium's modern classical education?
Firmly rooted in Ancient Greece, the art of teaching the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric creates a classical education. In a traditional classical school, the curriculum would be centered around history from antiquity to modernity studied three times over through the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. As a Texas public charter school, our curriculum is centered around the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). In addition, we believe that in our modern world grammar, logic, and rhetoric should not be separated into three distinct units of study over the course of an education. Instead, the three parts of the trivium should be taught with increasing sophistication each year. Our focus is on our Three E's (engage, examine, express) which directly correlate to the trivium.
What is the relationship between Portico Education Foundation and Trivium Academy?
Portico Education Foundation is a locally operated non-profit corporation made up of local public school educators, parents, and community volunteers who believe in offering families a choice in public school education. This is Portico Education Foundation's first school, and the foundation was created specifically to support Trivium Academy.
What grades do you offer?
In 2016-17, we opened as a K-6 school, and we are adding a grade level each year until becoming a full K-12 campus in 2022-2023. We had our first graduating class in 2023.
What kinds of teachers do you hire?
Our teachers share the same passion for education and implementation of best practices. We actively search for both veteran and new teachers who are flexible, eager, and willing to implement the philosophies of Trivium Academy. Most importantly, we hire teachers who enjoy working with children and will always seek to act in their best interest.
Who are the founders?
Our founders are all local public school educators. They have taught various levels and courses in schools within our geographic boundaries, presented at local, state, and national educational conferences, written curriculum for Plano ISD, and trained teachers and principals. Collectively they have been involved in education for over 50 years in our area.
Where is your location?
Trivium Academy’s location is two miles west of the Dallas North Tollway from the Park Blvd exit. This campus is located in Lewisville ISD close to the Plano ISD border at 2205 E Hebron Pkwy, Carrollton, TX 75010.
Our building has a beautiful library, a large cafeteria, a full size gym, a football field, and great outdoor spaces. Trivium is a community school, and we want to meet the needs and satisfy the interests of our student population. This facility allows us to do just that by offering clubs, programs, specials, and extracurricular activities based on the demand of our students.
What testing is done?
The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test will be used multiple times in a school year to assess skill levels and growth over time in language arts and math. The MAP test provides specific information to the teacher which helps in the implementation of individualized learning plans. Trivium will also administer all of the STAAR tests as required by the Texas Education Agency.
Is Trivium an accredited school?
Trivium’s accreditation comes from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) just like traditional public schools. TEA Commissioner Williams awarded Trivium Academy the charter, and the Texas State Board of Education approved his recommendation after a long and arduous process!
Does Trivium offer sports?
Yes, the full size gym, football field, and outdoor spaces allow us to offer extracurricular activities based on the demand of our students. Trivium joined the Texas Charter School Athletic and Academic League in the 2017-18 school year, and our secondary students have the opportunity to participate in flag football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, track, cross country, golf, and tennis.
What programs are offered for special populations?
Trivium offers programs to meet the needs of our student population. As an open-enrollment charter, if a child with a special need enrolls, Trivium will meet the needs of that child. That includes, but is not limited to: Special Education, English as a Second Language, Gifted and Talented, Dyslexia, and Speech.
Is Trivium sponsored by an out of state corporation?
No, Trivium is locally run and sponsored by the non-profit group, Portico Education Foundation. There is no out of state affiliation for Trivium Academy.
What curriculum is offered at Trivium Academy?
Trivium Academy’s founders all have a background in writing curriculum and studying best practices. They, along with the teachers, have written the curriculum specifically tailored for Trivium Academy using the backward design model of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe's Understanding by Design. All of the curriculum is based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills which can be found on the Texas Education Agency's website at this link: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
Our modern classical approach to the curriculum fosters an environment of engaging students in their learning, examining information with a critical eye, and expressing themselves in a variety of ways. This includes teaching methods such as Montessori inspired math manipulatives, reading and writing workshop, hands-on science experiments, and Socratic seminars to name just a few.
What is Genius Hour?
Genius Hour is an opportunity for our students to explore their interests, be creative, research, make, and take ownership of their learning. It gives students a choice in what they learn and how they express themselves. Genius Hour is built into the master schedule at Trivium Academy, allowing students time each week to pursue their passions. It’s said that Genius Hour began in Corporate America at Google where they allowed their employees 20% of their workweek to work on any passion-driven project that they wanted. As a result, productivity went up, and some of the best ideas that have come out of Google originated with their employees 20% time. Naturally, when students are allowed to work on something that interests them with no strings attached, the sky’s the limit.
Will you teach foreign languages?
Yes, Spanish will be taught starting in kindergarten. In addition, vocabulary and language concepts from Latin will be taught through humanities starting in the third grade.
What specials will be offered?
Elementary students will have a rotation of PE, music, art, and Spanish. In addition, Trivium has plans in the core curriculum to incorporate special learning opportunities such as: speech and debate, journalism, performing arts, and Latin.
Who can apply to attend Trivium?
All children who are in grade levels offered at Trivium can apply as long as they live within the school’s boundary with the exception of students who have a documented history of a criminal offense, juvenile court adjudication, or discipline problems under Subchapter A, Chapter 37 (such as being suspended, expelled, or placed in an alternative education program). Trivium's boundary is: Plano ISD, Lewisville ISD, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Little Elm ISD, Frisco ISD, Prosper ISD, Allen ISD, McKinney ISD, and Lovejoy ISD.
Will you offer honors and AP classes?
Yes, honors classes are offered beginning in 7th grade, and AP courses begin in high school starting with AP World History in 9th grade. We also offer dual-enrollment courses through the OnRamps program from the University of Texas at Austin.
What literature do the students read?
Our humanities program offers the opportunity to read both classical and modern literature. We study literature tied to social studies concepts/periods, and the reading workshop portion of the humanities class gives the students opportunities to choose more modern works.
Does Trivium Academy teach Common Core math?
No. It is not legal to teach Common Core in the state of Texas. We will follow the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills as adopted by the State Board of Education. The TEKS can be found here:
Math TEKS
Is all of the student work done collaboratively?
Students will work individually as well as collaboratively depending on the task at hand.
Does Trivium Academy require students to be vaccinated?
Yes, Trivium Academy is a public school and must follow the minimum vaccination schedule established by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The vaccination requirements along with information about exemptions from those requirements can be found at: Texas School Immunization Requirements