Agamim Classical Academy
Charter school in Edina, Minnesota, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Agamim Classical Academy is a K–8 public charter school in Edina, Minnesota. Based on the classical education movement, it opened in 2015 in Hopkins, Minnesota, before relocating to Edina in 2019. The school is set to close in June 2026.
| Agamim Classical Academy | |
|---|---|
Agamim from its recess area in February 2026 | |
| Location | |
 | |
1503 Boyce St (2015–2019) 5300 France Avenue S (2019–present) , 55410 United States | |
| Coordinates | 44°54′24.50″N 93°19′46.38″W |
| Information | |
| Type | Charter school |
| Opened | 2015 |
Chairman | Ben Maurer[1] |
| Director | Miranda Morton[1] |
| Grades | K–8 |
| Enrollment | ~260 (2025–2026)[2] |
| Website | agamim |
History
The school is named after the Hebrew word agam ("lake"), using its plural form to mean 'lakes,' likely representative of Minnesota. Agamim opened in 2015 at 1503 Boyce St[3] in Hopkins, Minnesota, with 74 students in grades K–4 and ten staff members.[4] It was founded with the stated vision of cultivating "wise, grateful, and virtuous students dedicated to the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness for themselves and for our country."[5] By 2019, the school had 300 students and 47 staff; after outgrowing its original building, Agamim relocated to 5300 France Avenue S in Edina, Minnesota in the summer of that year.[6] Both locations are churches, including Kingdom Embassy Worship Center and Calvary Christian Reformed Church. In 2024, the school acquired a new playground.
Closure
On April 1, 2026, eleven years after its founding, Agamim announced it would be closing during the summer after the 2025–2026 school year in an email sent to community members.[7] The stated reasons include financial issues, declining enrollment numbers, and rising operational costs.[8] On March 30, the school board voted to end operations effective June 30.[9]
Information
Agamim Classical Academy follows a classical education model based on the trivium, which divides learning into three parts: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. It emphasizes E pluribus unum, the motto of the United States, meaning "out of many, one," and teaches American values.[10] The school's curriculum is built on the Core Knowledge Sequence, which provides a specific, grade-by-grade outline of topics in history, geography, science, literature, language arts, and fine arts, and it uses Saxon math. Reading follows the Groves Method, a phonics-based curriculum developed by the Groves Learning Organization to support both general education students and those with dyslexia.[11] The classical languages of Hebrew, Latin, and Greek are taught at the school.
Outside of its core academics, Agamim promotes character formation through five "foundational virtues": fortitude, gratitude, joyfulness, temperance, and wisdom. These virtues are highly integrated into daily school life and form the basis of Agamim's disciplinary and cultural structure.[11] Students are required to wear uniforms, typically consisting of red, white, or blue polo shirts and khaki pants, often accompanied by a fleece for warmth. Uniforms feature the Agamim logo on the upper chest.[12]