About Us

Lighthouse Private Christian Academy

Lighthouse Academy began in 2004, directly after Hurricane Ivan devastated our coast. In response to the schools that were shut down at that time, Lighthouse emerged. Since then, we have grown from 18 pre-k students in one small room in a back of a Church to 5 large campuses in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. We utilize almost 40,000 square feet while serving students from age 4(VPK) to age 18(12th grade). We are a not-for-profit 501c3 educational organization.

We operate under three models of instruction:

Elementary/Early Middle (VPK-7^th)

Bi-lingual (K-7^th)

College Preparatory Academies (8^th-12^th )

Our close proximity to the Gulf Breeze Zoo and downtown Pensacola allows Lighthouse to expand a student’s learning to include “hands on” education related to animals, science and environmental issues. Beyond our core curriculum subjects, we also provide enrichment classes on a daily basis. Foreign language, art, music, ceramics, zoology, marine biology, physical education, cooking, manners, creative writing, criminal justice, equestrian, and community service are some of the enrichment elective classes.

We, at Lighthouse Academy, provide a multi-faceted, exceptional education to our students while assisting families in fostering their child’s spiritual development. We provide a safe, nurturing environment with loving, positive teachers that reinforce Christian principles. Once students enter the 6^th grade, they may play competitive sports against other local schools. Football, basketball, volleyball, softball, cheerleading, baseball, golf, and cross-country are the main sports at LPCA.

Go Stingrays!

We provide the one and only:

-Private high school in Gulf Breeze or Navarre, Florida

-Bi-lingual school in Northwest Florida.

-School labeled “College Preparatory” in Pensacola, Florida

We are now accepting applications for children ages 3 through 18. (Grades pre k – 12th).

■  High-quality VPK, Elementary, MIddle and High School education in a warm, creative atmosphere

■  Advanced  Christian curriculum combined with hands-on learning methods

■  Ratios: VPK- 2 teachers for 13 students. Elementary and Middle – Average 1 teacher per 12 students.High School- Average 1 teacher per 14 students. Tutoring available. One-on-one assistance.

■  Honors groups/Eagle scholars

■  Contracted speech pathologists on campus.

■  Secure, safe facilities with keypad entrance. Video surveillance

■  Certified  & Approved by Florida’s Department of Children and Families. Minimum B.A/B.S. level for middle and high school lead teachers. High percentage of masters level educators.

■  Extracurricular activities, including music lessons and all sports

■  Positive, loving discipline

■  Focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)

■  Website communication (homeworknow, Edsby, Ignitia)

■  ESE certified group

Mission Statement:

The mission of Lighthouse Private Christian Academy is to inspire students to have a love and joy for learning, for a lifetime, by providing a transformational, Christ-centered education.

Lighthouse Philosophy:

To have a love for Christ, exhibiting positive discipline, and integrating “hands-on” education into our curriculum.

History:

In 2004, our area was devastated by Hurricane Ivan. Many of us lost our homes and three of the four preschools in our area were closed permanently.  Being the mother of two small boys I decided that I needed to help the parents in the community, but I just did not know how to accomplish that goal.

One day after the hurricane, my boys and I were sitting on the white sandy beach in front of our yard that once held our home standing tall. As we sadly looked back at the rubble, I stared into the sky for God to give me the right words to say to my sons. As I was looking at the blue sky with lofty clouds, I started to see the clouds form into children’s faces. The more I looked, the more children’s faces I saw. They were laughing, crying, singing, and smiling. It was at that moment I knew that God wanted me to start a school for children that would provide a healing, nurturing, environment.  I had a mission.

Although I own an auditing company and had many years of entrepreneurial experience, I did not know where to start in establishing a school for children. I contacted child care services and found out that although I had a Master’s degree in business, I still needed to get many certifications and attend college again in order to have the educational background necessary to run and operate a school.

From that day forward, I spent my days with my sons and my nights studying and going to school. After finishing my child care credentials and obtaining a degree in Montessori teaching, I began hiring the best teachers in town.  I interviewed many women, but only hired experienced, Christian women with loving, caring hearts. I wanted the best staff for the children of NW Florida.

My auditing company continued to grow without my daily direction and soon I had enough funds to not only start the school; but to buy four acres of land and build the structures and classrooms needed to give the children a good start to their education.

God continues to bless our Lighthouse school, and now we have 5 campuses serving almost 400 students from ages 4(VPK) to 18(12^th grade). Our students have been provided with the best teachers, most advanced faith based curriculum available, and the environment that they need in order to blossom and grow.

We believe that it is the educator’s responsibility to assist the parents in fostering the child’s spirit.  We strive to keep a 1 to 12 teacher to student ratio so that we can provide students with the attention that would allow them to reach their academic peak while having their questions quickly answered and needs met.

I now see that Hurricane Ivan was a blessing to my family as God may have intended Lighthouse to be an integral part of the Christian education movement in this area. He even guided us to open up a bilingual campus this year.

God is present in our school every day. He is in our prayers before eating and in our daily lessons. But, most importantly, he lives in the hearts of our teachers and our grateful, beautiful Lighthouse children. When people ask if Lighthouse is my school, I simply respond with, “No, this is the Lord’s school. I am just here to help”. I am honored to do so.

Joanna Johannes, Founder/Superintendent

Accreditation:

Lighthouse Academy successfully educates children from VPK through 12th Grade. We strive for excellence in all that we do. We prove this by being accredited through two independent organizations.

Lighthouse is accredited by the Christian Schools of Florida(CSF) and The Middle States Association of Elementary and Secondary Schools(MSSA).

We are also full recognized accrediting members of:

The Florida Association of Academic Nonpublic Schools (FAANS)

The National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA)