Petra Academy

Christian foundation. Classical tradition. Joyful learning. In Bozeman since 1995.

From the Headmaster

Welcome to Petra Academy

Now in our 24th year, Petra Academy is Montana’s oldest and Bozeman’s only five-day-a-week classical Christian school.

With 180 Pre-K through 12th grade students and 30 full- and part-time faculty and staff – all engaging on a scenic 20-acre campus on the ever-growing west side of town, Petra is uniquely positioned to help parents in the Gallatin Valley teach and reinforce to their students truth, beauty, and goodness.

Good parents want their children to grow up to be good people. And most want a community of like-hearted people to help along the way. We partner with parents to reassure them in their school pursuit to see their children faithfully stand out in the world.

Parents want their children to have the best chance of being successful; they worry that a wrong decision could lead to failure. Opinions from friends and family complicate matters, often causing parents to feel insecure about their choice. How do parents enjoy their children’s learning years if their children don’t?

This is where Petra Academy can help. An accredited member of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS), we recognize so much is at stake in the decision parents make for their children. And we know evaluating educational options can be difficult and confusing. But we also know how to come alongside and help, because that’s what we’ve been doing since 1995.

Through our partnership with parents, we provide regular feedback about student progress that so many schools are unable to offer. Smaller classes and teachers who really want to get to know your student are standard, while our classical curriculum and Christian culture are anything but.

Explore our website, watch our videos, and then visit our school. We promise to ease your fears by getting to know you, to listen and take seriously your concerns, and to put together a plan to help your student flourish rather than walk away from the Christian faith that you desire them to make their own.

Choose Petra, and be confident that you’ve made the right choice for your children, who you’ve taught to do right in the world.

Click here to see all the latest news

Media

Staff | Our Mission

Teachers | Teacher Focus

Parents | Why Petra?

Craig Dunham | Petra's Vision of the Good Life

Sam Koenen | Texts of Depravity

Bobbi Miller | Kindergarten and the Classical Approach

Sarah McClaflin | Grammar: Observing with Humility

Elias Denison | Dialectic/Logic: Thinking with Reason

Ginny Owens | Redeeming Rhetoric

Twitter

Petra Academy @Petra Academy

It's Spirit Day! Wear your favorite Griffin Gear and/or school colors today. https://t.co/8OMfyp8G0o

- 2 days ago

Petra Academy @Petra Academy

Snow just means more sledding at recess! https://t.co/8g88OQRw3h

- 4 days ago

Petra Academy @Petra Academy

Read this week's edition of The Griffin Gazette here: https://t.co/j7A7UACrVC https://t.co/EkJ9pZ2Gam

- 6 days ago

Petra Academy @Petra Academy

Mrs. McClaflin's 6th grade class would like to remind you that Spell-a-thon has started! https://t.co/ey5P5fO4qR

- 6 days ago

Petra Academy @Petra Academy

Parents are invited to this month's Board meeting, October 8, at 3:45 p.m. https://t.co/Y8We2aYyac

- 6 days ago

Follow @PetraBozeman

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ARTICLES

Finding the Truth about Everything

As we begin our fourth week of our 24th school year, here’s an excerpt from a letter sent recently to long-time (17 years) Humanities teacher Gregg Valeriano. The student who wrote the letter did not finish at Petra, but she didn’t leave until after her freshman year, during which she had Mr. Valeriano for Humanities […]

When 80% Is Good Enough

One thing I tell our faculty and staff during Orientation is that our goal by the end of the time is to be 80% on the same page of what we need to know for the year. I’m not trying to give us permission to slack; the reality is just that there’s only so much […]

All Is Gift

I just finished one of the saddest books I’ve read in a while. The title is Educated, a memoir by a woman now in her early thirties named Tara Westover detailing her life growing up in eastern Idaho with little to no attention given to her (and her six siblings’) education. Math, science, history, English […]

A Republic, If You Can Keep It

As we bid adieu to June and welcome July and the 243rd anniversary of American Independence, an anecdote comes to mind. Perhaps you’ve heard of what Ben Franklin, upon exiting the Constitutional Convention, was asked as to what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer: “A republic, if you can keep it.” Franklin’s […]