Merit Academy's pursuit of excellence is matched by an athletics program that cultivates the same discipline, resilience, and competitive virtue. The boys’ basketball team claimed SOL League Champions honors, while volleyball and basketball squads consistently post exceptional winning records. The varsity rifle team stands out as the only civilian high school program in a 12-state region to qualify for regionals, with a marksman advancing to nationals—clear evidence that Merit Academy’s classical model produces students who excel both in the classroom and on the field of competition.
Athletics Mission Statement
Merit Academy Athletics cultivates the minds, hearts, and bodies of student-athletes through the disciplined pursuit of excellence. Grounded in the school’s mission to instruct in moral character and civic virtue, and aligned with its vision of preparing students for success in a free society, athletics develops perseverance, responsibility, teamwork, and valor. Through competition and training, student-athletes learn to pursue truth, beauty, and good, becoming responsible citizens who contribute their talents to a flourishing republic.
Athletics at Merit Academy form an essential extension of this mission. The program develops the whole student—mind, character, and body—by translating classical virtues into the arena of competition, teamwork, and disciplined practice. Merit student-athletes pursue excellence while learning perseverance under pressure, responsibility to teammates and community, and the courage to compete with integrity. Current offerings include high school and middle school boys’ basketball (SOL League Champions), volleyball and basketball teams with strong winning records, cross country, and a rapidly growing competitive marksmanship program. The Varsity Rifle Team, founded in 2024 and affiliated with the Civilian Marksmanship Program, has already produced regional and national qualifiers—including an all-girls team that advanced to Western regionals as one of the few non-JROTC civilian programs in the region. These achievements demonstrate that Merit’s classical model produces students who excel both in the classroom and in competition.
As a public charter school, Merit Academy receives limited state and local funding directed primarily toward academics. Expanding and sustaining a high-quality athletics program—covering equipment, safe facilities and range improvements, coaching, travel for regional and national competition, and opportunities for a growing student body of more than 600—requires private philanthropic support. Investment in Merit Academy Athletics directly advances the school’s vision: forming responsible, resilient citizens who carry the habits of excellence, teamwork, and civic virtue into every arena of life.
Organization name
Merit Academy
2021
Tax id (EIN)
85-2365942
Category
Education, Recreation & Sports, Youth Development
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
500 E KELLY RDCO, US,