About
About CAK
A Christian School for Christian Families
At Christian Academy of Knoxville, our mission is to partner with Christian families to provide a comprehensive college preparatory education from a biblical worldview in a Christ-centered environment.
Since 1977, CAK has been home to families from preschool through 12th grade seeking an education that challenges students academically while nurturing their faith. As a covenant school, CAK is built on a shared commitment between school and home. Parents are active partners in the educational journey, joining a community of like-minded families who share common values. Together, we seek to equip students to be servants, scholars, and disciples.
Experience CAK
Head of School Welcome
Welcome to Christian Academy of Knoxville!
It is a privilege to serve as Head of School at CAK. This is my eleventh year serving our school community and my seventh as Head of School. Every year I become more grateful for what God is doing in and through the lives of our students, faculty, and families. Whether you are already part of the CAK family or are considering partnering with us, thank you for taking the time to learn more about our school.
Growing up has never been easy, but today's students face a unique challenge. They are constantly told that their significance is found in what they accomplish, how they perform, how they look, or what others think of them. We believe there is a better way.
We desire for every child to understand that everyone adds value to our school community and that their significance is based upon the work Christ did on the cross rather than individual gifts and accomplishments.
That conviction shapes everything we do at CAK.
Our theme this year comes from the second half of 1 Samuel 16:7: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." While the world focuses on outward success, God is concerned with the heart. If our students leave CAK knowing who they are in Christ, they will have a foundation that no success can improve, and no failure can take away.
Because of that, we pursue excellence in every area of school life. We challenge students academically. We believe the total student experience matters, so we encourage participation in athletics, fine arts, clubs, and other co-curricular opportunities. We prepare to compete, and we certainly plan to win. But winning is never where our students find their significance.
Our coaches, teachers, and staff are committed to being transformational leaders. They invest in students because they love them, not because of what they accomplish. We want every child to know they are valued, appreciated, and loved because of who they are in Christ. When students understand that truth, they are free to pursue excellence with humility, compete with integrity, lead with confidence, and serve others faithfully.
Christian education is also about discipleship. Our desire is to help students develop a biblical worldview and prepare them to thrive as Christian men and women wherever God calls them. We recognize that this responsibility is shared with parents and the local church. God designed those relationships to work together, and we encourage every CAK family to be actively involved in a Bible-believing church as we partner together in the spiritual formation of our children.
It is a privilege to serve as Head of School at CAK. This is my eleventh year serving our school community and my seventh as Head of School. Every year I become more grateful for what God is doing in and through the lives of our students, faculty, and families. Whether you are already part of the CAK family or are considering partnering with us, thank you for taking the time to learn more about our school.
Growing up has never been easy, but today's students face a unique challenge. They are constantly told that their significance is found in what they accomplish, how they perform, how they look, or what others think of them. We believe there is a better way.
We desire for every child to understand that everyone adds value to our school community and that their significance is based upon the work Christ did on the cross rather than individual gifts and accomplishments.
That conviction shapes everything we do at CAK.
Our theme this year comes from the second half of 1 Samuel 16:7: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." While the world focuses on outward success, God is concerned with the heart. If our students leave CAK knowing who they are in Christ, they will have a foundation that no success can improve, and no failure can take away.
Because of that, we pursue excellence in every area of school life. We challenge students academically. We believe the total student experience matters, so we encourage participation in athletics, fine arts, clubs, and other co-curricular opportunities. We prepare to compete, and we certainly plan to win. But winning is never where our students find their significance.
Our coaches, teachers, and staff are committed to being transformational leaders. They invest in students because they love them, not because of what they accomplish. We want every child to know they are valued, appreciated, and loved because of who they are in Christ. When students understand that truth, they are free to pursue excellence with humility, compete with integrity, lead with confidence, and serve others faithfully.
Christian education is also about discipleship. Our desire is to help students develop a biblical worldview and prepare them to thrive as Christian men and women wherever God calls them. We recognize that this responsibility is shared with parents and the local church. God designed those relationships to work together, and we encourage every CAK family to be actively involved in a Bible-believing church as we partner together in the spiritual formation of our children.
As our culture continues to change, it becomes even more important that we remain faithful to the mission God has given us. Schools can easily experience mission drift when they begin pursuing the priorities of the world rather than the priorities of Christ. By God's grace, we are committed to staying true to our purpose. We will continue pointing students to Christ, pursuing excellence in all we do, and reminding every child that their significance is found not in what they do, but in what Christ has already done for them.
Thank you for entrusting us with the privilege of serving your family. It is an honor to partner with you as we prepare the next generation to know Christ, love others, and faithfully serve Him wherever He leads.
Thank you for entrusting us with the privilege of serving your family. It is an honor to partner with you as we prepare the next generation to know Christ, love others, and faithfully serve Him wherever He leads.
Sincerely,
Rich Fulford
CAK Head of School
We will continue pointing students to Christ, pursuing excellence in all we do, and reminding every child that their significance is found not in what they do, but in what Christ has already done for them.
Our Mission
The mission of Christian Academy of Knoxville is to partner with Christian families to provide a comprehensive college preparatory education from a biblical worldview in a Christ-centered environment.
Statement of Faith
We, the Board of Trustees, administration, and staff of CAK are mindful of God's will that children should be taught the content and practical applications of His Word in every aspect of learning and in every activity of life (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). We firmly believe that a Christian school is essential to the successful completion of these child-training responsibilities. It is the purpose of CAK to establish an educational institution where students may obtain a sound Christian education that allows students to know that God is the central source of all knowledge, attitudes, and skills.
Statement of Beliefs
CAK adheres to the following Statement of Beliefs in guiding the actions of the school:
- We believe the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God and the standard by which all knowledge is judged and taught (II Timothy 3:16-17).
- We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (I Peter 1:1b-2; Luke 3:21-22).
- We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory (I Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 1-3).
- We believe that the salvation and redemption of lost and sinful man is possible only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Romans 3:21-26).
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life (Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 8:4-9).
- We believe that God has given a variety of spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:4) to all believers according to His sovereign will (I Corinthians 12:11) for the building up of the body of Christ (I Corinthians 14:12). Believers are to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3) that there should be no division in the body (I Corinthians 12:25). All believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13) and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment of salvation (Romans 8:9).
- We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:29; Acts 24:15; Matthew 25:46).
- We believe that all believers of our Lord Jesus Christ are united in the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12-13) and are eternally secure in this relationship (John 10:28; Romans 8:35-39).
- We believe that children and adolescents should be disciplined in Christian love (Hebrews 12:6; Revelation 3:19).
- We believe that teaching and learning should be accomplished through the cooperative effort of teachers and parents, for the Bible places primary responsibility for this total education.
- We believe that the support of the local church is vital to growth of our students and families (Acts 2:42-47).
- We believe that we live with the sex and gender that God chose for us because we believe that God wonderfully and immutably created us as male or female and that these two different, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Genesis 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
- We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Genesis 2:18-25).
- We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a biological man and a biological woman who are married to each other (I Corinthians 6:18, 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
- We believe that the Scripture dictates standards of sexual behavior. The unique roles of the male and female are clearly defined in Scripture. Any promiscuity, homosexuality, gender identity issues or other deviations from Biblical principles is a sin that is offensive to God (Matthew 5:18-19; I Corinthians 6: 9-10, 19-20; Ephesians 5:3-5; I Thessalonians 4:3-8).
- We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of CAK as a local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Knoxville community, it is imperative that all persons employed by CAK in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:14-16; I Thessalonians 5:22).
- We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9- 10; I Corinthians 6:9-11).
- We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture or the doctrines of CAK.
History
In 1977, people from different denominational backgrounds worked together to establish a nondenominational Christian School in West Knoxville, based on the Lord's tug at their hearts to follow the commands given in Deuteronomy 6. Their vision was for Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) to be an extension of the Christian home with excellence in academics to prepare students for college and careers. That vision lives on today.We invite you to come see CAK for yourself. Schedule a tour, meet our community, and discover how your family can be part of what God is doing here.
Knoxville's premier preschool to 12th grade private, college preparatory, Christian school located in Knox County, Tennessee.
