Cardinal Academy Keeps Small-Town Education Alive in Former Wetmore School
The public school in Wetmore, KS closed in May 2023, but the facility continues to be used for education.
Cardinal Academy, a hybrid homeschool program that partners with parents to provide Christ-centered education for K-8th grade, was launched as a pilot program in Fall 2024, following the public school's closure in May 2023. The pilot program started with 9 families and 16 students, but it is preparing to grow to 44 students for the 2026-2027 school year.
The new school occupies two floors of the former public school building in Wetmore. The Academy served 21 students in the 2025-2026 school year, with families commuting from Jackson, Nemaha, Brown, and Pottawatomie counties. Noe said initial interest is high, and they are preparing to offer high school classes in the future.
The program uses My Father’s World as the foundational base for the curriculum. The curriculum, which seamlessly integrates the Bible into every subject, is designed to help students “see the world through God’s eyes so they may live according to that knowledge for generations to come.”
According to Noe, “God’s word is central to the program: Biblical content is thoroughly integrated into all aspects of the curriculum, and reading God’s word is a core part of everything we do and teach.” Noe said the goal is for every student to become a strong reader—not only because reading and comprehension are foundational to learning, but also because “God speaks to us through his word, so it’s the way we get to know who God is.”
To support that goal, Cardinal Academy partners with a certified reading instructor to deliver daily phonics instruction to students. The instructor uses a “structured literacy program” based on the “science of reading,” and the lessons are delivered in one-on-one and small-group settings so the instruction can move at the child’s pace.
As kindergarten and first‑grade students begin to master phonics, they begin their reading journey with their very own Bible Readers, which are versions of the Bible that have been translated down to an emerging reader’s level. Once kids know how to read, Noe explained, “we point them to begin a systematic reading of the Bible so that they can begin to learn about who God is in a more personal way.”
1st grader reading from his Bible Reader at home with his parents after receiving his regular reading lesson at school during the day.
Students start each morning with 20 minutes of Bible reading, and they cycle through the entire Bible (from Genesis to Revelation) three times over the course of the program: once at the K-3 level, again at the 4-8th level, and the students will read every word of the Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) in the 9th-12th grade program. Parents are informed of the Bible reading schedule and are encouraged to continue devotions and further discussions at home.
A new math instructor was also hired in fall 2025 to develop a math program that takes a similarly individualized approach to developing mathematical fluency. The Academy is creating a “mastery-based approach” to learning, which simply means students don’t move on until they have demonstrated mastery of critical concepts.
Cardinal Academy students are also only in school 17 hours per week, as opposed to 35 hours/week in traditional schools. Students attend core classes 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with extended days on Tuesdays and Thursdays for hands-on enrichment activities. “We do this for two reasons,” Noe said. “First, when students are self-disciplined and self-driven in their studies, they truly do not need 8 hours a day to complete their work.”
“Second,” she said, “we think it’s important for kids to have time and freedom outside of the classroom to explore, create, and experience the goodness that life has to offer.”
Noe said Academy parents “get this,” and they use their time outside of the classroom to create meaningful responsibilities, experiences, and projects that make sense for their children and families.
Students spending an afternoon outside, learning about how to take care of horses at one of their fellow Academy member’s family farm.
Families pay tuition to attend Cardinal Academy but scholarships are offered based on financial need. “Our prayer is that we never have to turn a family away because of finances,” Noe said. Cardinal Academy is a non-denominational Christian school, and several area churches are coming together to help fund the scholarship program.
Members of Cardinal Academy’s advisory board include Tom and Viki Stone of Horton, Ron and Sherry Kuglin of Holton, Steve and Lana Sheldon of Holton, Paul and Sue Davault of Circleville, and Ronald and Andrea Lagos of Wetmore.
Cardinal Academy is also supported by the Cardinal Community Foundation, which owns the K-12 school facility that the Academy rents as a tenant. The CCF board includes Corey and Anissa Bloom, Rodney and Liz Burdiek, Ryan and Shelli Burdiek, Miles and Nichole Hanzlicek, and Analyssa Noe – all of Wetmore.
For more information about Cardinal Academy, visit www.gocardinalacademy.com or contact ananoe@gocardinalacademy.com.
