Join Us!

We are currently building Light the Way Academy to start in Fall 2025 for the 2025-2026 school year. We would love to have you join us!

Families with children of all ages are welcome to participate, even if your children are only in Nursery! We are excited for you to be part of our community of like-minded homeschooling families.

Membership Levels:

Families are welcome to be part of Light the Way Academy in different ways. We welcome all to participate in the membership tier that fits best for your family.

• Tier 1: Free monthly book club. The purpose of this book club is to focus on the point of A Thomas Jefferson Leadership Education "you not them." We as individuals must grow, seek, find and live our life's missions so that we can inspire our children and youth to do the same. This is for anyone to join. Join us as we dive into great literature together. Because of distance, we will meet on zoom September, October, November, January, February, and March. If you are interested in participating, email lightthewayacademymt@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

• Tier 2: Associate member. This not only helps support our mission, but also allows you to be involved with our activities, including meet-ups and family activities throughout the year! This is perfect for families who want to regularly rub shoulders with like-minded families but aren't able to commit to weekly LTWA classes. You will be included on the LTWA page on the BAND app. Associate membership is $20 per year, renewing annually on August 1st. To join, contact Celeste Smith at lightthewayacademymt@gmail.com.

• Tier 3: Full Member. We would be honored to have your family join our community with a full membership! This includes participation in weekly classes and events, along with being part of the BAND app for all LTWA activities. Responsibilities include parents being a mentor during the school year (September-April), signing up to help with our weekly devotional, participating in after-school cleanup, attending mentor trainings, and helping plan activities. Join our growing community of raising young leaders at home and in our Commonwealth.

Process for Joining as a Full Member:

1. Read the book, A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille. All families are required to read this book before joining. This does not mean that you need to be using this philosophy in your home. It only ensures that everyone in LTWA understand the same foundations upon which the school is built.

2. Let us know! Send an email to Celeste Smith at lightthewayacademymt@gmail.com.

3. Complete a background check.

4. Volunteer to be a mentor or other responsibility. Parent "mentors" help teach the classes, and two mentors are needed per class. Other opportunities are available as well.

5. Pay the family semester fee.

Fees

All families are expected to contribute to operating costs of the commonwealth. This covers rent for a school location, insurance, website and other administrative fees, and class supplies. LTWA will be a non-profit organization. There will not be any paid staff or employees; all fees will go back to the school. Final numbers are not determined yet, but we anticipate that they will be about $150 per semester per family.

Location

We will be meeting for weekly classes in Missoula.

If you have any questions, email us at lightthewayacademymt@gmail.com.