First period. Phones go into the pouch by the door. For the next 40 minutes, the only screens in the room are the ones the teacher chooses to use.
On a campus tour, that's often what parents notice first. It points to the question every family is really asking: will my student find their people here? Will anyone really know them?
That question is the right place to start, because how a school answers it tells you what that school believes education is for.
What is the purpose of education at LuHi?
The purpose of education is to form students who know who they are in Christ, think for themselves, and use their gifts to serve others.
Our mission says it plainly: Nurturing academic excellence and encouraging growth in Christ.
Academic growth matters. But it isn't the sole point. It serves something bigger: students who belong to a community, mature into clear thinkers, and leave ready to be future-shapers for Kingdom impact.
That growth follows a path. It moves from memorization (typically in the pre-high school years), to critical thinking, to independence, and finally to service.
Why does belonging come first?
A student who feels known by their teachers has the confidence to wrestle with hard ideas, take risks, and ask honest questions.
Executive Director Dan Gehrke often describes this in two ways: teachers as great coaches and a community of like-minded people who form a tribe. High school is really four years of life coaching. Great coaches get students fully bought in. And a great high school doesn't just enroll students. It gives them a tribe.
That tribe shows up in ordinary places:
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The whole student body gathered in chapel three times a week
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A hallway conversation with a teacher who asks how the game went
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Lunch tables where students are talking to each other, not just scrolling
It shows up in the classroom, too. Every LuHi class is built around 40 minutes of distraction-free learning. Phones go in a pouch, a basket, or out of sight unless a teacher directs students to use a device for learning. The goal is interaction without devices. Students and teachers engage with each other and with the content, face to face.
How do students move from memorization to critical thinking?
Many of us memorized Bible verses in Sunday school. Years later, those words of comfort still come to mind without effort. A memorized verse is the starting point for applying God's truth to real life.
High school has to go further. Students can find almost any fact in seconds. But finding an answer is not the same as understanding it, or knowing what to do with it.
That's where authentic assessment comes in. LuHi teachers design assessments that show whether students have actually digested information, not just memorized it long enough to repeat it back. A good assessment asks students to explain, apply, and defend their own thinking. No search bar or AI tool can do that work for them.
As LuHi Dean of Academics Tim Thomack puts it, "Critical thinking must be modeled. It's a deeper space that can be difficult to get to. It requires intentionality, commitment, time, practice, knowledge of the topic and application of that knowledge to thoughtfully evaluate the situation. When we get into this deeper space of thinking, it pushes students to contribute original thoughts because they offer the efforts of their own brains. They are not just matching the ideas they already heard."
What does that look like in a LuHi classroom?
Think of a Colorado trail. A first-time hiker needs a clear path and cairns to mark the way. A more experienced hiker needs less guidance. An orienteer may only need a topo map and a compass.
Learning works the same way. The more experienced the learner, the fewer breadcrumbs they need.
Highly relational, highly talented teachers coach students along that progression, offering a little less direction each step of the way.
Here's what that looks like in class:
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Spanish: Students don't just learn vocabulary. They consider what it means to speak to someone in their "heart language."
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Theology: Students wrestle with four big questions through Scripture: Who am I? Why am I here? Is there hope? Is there truth?
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Science: Students learn a concept, then work to answer the "why" behind it.
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Literature: Students dig into the deeper meaning of a story and talk about how its themes connect to their own lives.
Remember the first time you drove somewhere alone when you were a teenager? It's a taste of freedom. It's growing up. A student feels something similar the first time they work through a hard question without being handed the answer.
Independence is a gift but it isn't the end goal.
Why does independence lead to service?
Maturity frees students to look beyond themselves.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." (1 Corinthians 13:11)
He places that line in the middle of his teaching on love. Growing up, for Paul, means learning to love outward.
So what does a mature student set aside? Self-focus.
As Christian students grow in faith and in thinking, they learn to take responsibility for the people around them. Love is selfless by nature. And real maturity shows up when students use their freedom to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
That's why service is woven into every year at LuHi. Students complete 20 service hours each year, with the hope that serving becomes a lifelong habit rather than a requirement. Mission trips, campus ministry, and everyday kindness in the hallway all point the same direction.
At LuHi, you'll hear our administration call students future-shapers: young adults who carry Kingdom impact into their colleges, careers, churches, and communities.
So, what is the purpose of education?
It isn't a GPA or class rank. It isn't even what college you attend after graduation. It's a student who belongs to a community, thinks clearly, and walks out the door ready to serve.
Want to go deeper? Read The Hallmarks of a LuHi Grad or explore our guide, What makes a high school great?
Originally published in 2020, updated for accuracy in 2026.
