ACCS Study Results Compiled by The University of Notre Dame Sociology Department
BOISE, Idaho, Feb. 6, 2020 - The Classical Difference today released a groundbreaking study completed by the University of Notre Dame’s Sociology department revealing that graduates of ACCS schools feel a stronger sense of purpose and are more thankful, trusting and connected adults than alumni of other educational institutions.
Good Soil: A Comparative Study of ACCS Alumni Life Outcomes evaluated and ranked ACCS graduates in the United States ages 23 to 43 across seven different life outcome profile categories, including college and career, life outlook, Christian commitment, Christian lifestyle, traditional and conservative, independence of mind and influence.
The findings were compared to the widely accepted 2018 Cardus Education Survey, in which Notre Dame collected responses from a nationally representative sample of more than 1,500 high-school graduates within the same age range from government schools and non-government schools, including non-religious independent schools, Catholic and Protestant schools and Homeschoolers in both the United States and Canada.
“Not only does the life outlook of ACCS graduates rank significantly above the median, but we know that individuals with a more healthy life outlook lead happier and more fulfilling lives,” said ACCS President David Goodwin. “For the first time in decades, life expectancy is declining due to destructive lifestyles. So, the results of this study do not simply show which graduates go on to become more satisfied; they provide insight for ways we can reverse this new trend in life expectancy and equip future generations for success in all areas.”
Responses in the life outlook category showed that only 14% of ACCS alumni agree that life lacks clear goals or a sense of direction, nearly 80% agreed they have much to be thankful for, and only 14% said they feel helpless in dealing with life’s problems. Comparably, among graduates of Evangelical schools, ACCS’s closest competitor in this category, 40% contend that life lacks a clear sense of direction and that they feel helpless in dealing with life's problems. Merely 65% admitted they have much for which to be grateful.
Additionally, ACCS alumni are the most trusting of personal relationships, including strangers, coworkers, neighbors and individuals at church. According to the National Institutes of Health, “The levels of subjective well-being increase with the number of people an individual can trust and confide in.”
Still, the most drastic difference in life outlook among the alumni studied concerns friendship.
“One of the most surprising takeaways we gathered is just how well connected ACCS graduates are with others,” said Goodwin. “For example, 90% of them have more than three close friends, which is the median among the whole population. Not only that but by a large margin, they interact more with their close friends each week. Seeing recent reports of the loneliness epidemic among Millennials and comparing it to our findings, we are hopeful that in having the opportunity to educate more students in ACCS schools, we can combat this terrible trend head-on, beginning at an early age.”
Founded in 1994, the ACCS currently represents 300 schools nationwide, having graduated approximately 50,000 students. ACCS ranks about 6th by the number of schools represented as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics and is the only association of Christian schools to continually grow over the past 15 years. The Classical Difference is the publishing division of the Association of Classical Christian Schools.
To view the Good Soil study, visit https://classicaldifference.com/good-soil/.
About The Association of Classical Christian Schools
Established in 1994, the ACCS represents 300 schools across the country and has graduated approximately 50,000 students. Organized to promote, establish and equip member schools that are committed to a classical approach in the light of a Christian worldview, the ACCS is the primary public advocate for classical Christian education. To learn more about the ACCS, visit classicalchristian.org.
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