Charlie Kirk Announces Turning Point Academy Prep Year with Dr. Ty Gooch for Biblical Classical Education
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Charlie Kirk Announces Turning Point Academy Prep Year with Dr. Ty Gooch for Biblical Classical Education
Charlie Kirk announces the launch of Turning Point Academy Prep Year, a nine-month immersive program in Fort Worth, Texas, designed to provide what college education should be, classical Christian learning combined with civic curriculum from a biblical worldview. Led by Dr. Ty Gooch, this program offers students ages 18-20 the opportunity to dive deep into great books, develop critical thinking skills, and emerge as equipped leaders ready to influence culture. With generous donors providing $20,000 scholarships, students pay only a $1,000 deposit to access this transformative experience that combines rigorous academics, mentorship, real-world application, and whole-life discipleship in a retreat-center environment at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Charlie Kirk introduces a significant announcement from Turning Point Academy: the launch of Prep Year, a nine-month immersive educational program designed for students ages 18-20 who want an alternative to traditional four-year college. Kirk asks the audience who among them is considering college but feels uncertain about it, or who has children or grandchildren facing the same dilemma. He explains that Turning Point Academy Prep Year offers a solution—a program where students can actually learn something meaningful.
Dr. Ty Gooch, the leader behind Turning Point Academy, joins Kirk to explain the program. Dr. Guch describes Prep Year as the culmination of work by Kirk and Dr. Hutz Hertzberg, Turning Point's Chief Education Officer, aimed at preparing students for life, leadership, and impact. The program is designed to immerse students in great books and foundational ideas from a biblical perspective, recreating what college should truly be—training of the mind and whole-life transformation.
Program Structure and Location
The program will be hosted in Fort Worth, Texas, at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a partnership that provides students with exceptional facilities including dorms, a swimming pool, fitness center, and nearly 200 acres of property. Dr. Guch emphasizes that these are not ordinary dorm accommodations but retreat-center-quality facilities that create an excellent learning environment.
Students will experience a week-long modular training format rooted in classical education principles. The curriculum emphasizes rhetoric, collegial learning where students engage and think rather than passively receive lecture content, and the application of virtue and wisdom. The program includes mentors like Charlie Kirk who teach subjects such as economics from a biblical worldview perspective, helping students read and process the great writings of Western civilization with a biblical foundation.
Dr. Ty Gooch's Background and Vision
Dr. Guch brings 25 years of Christian ministry experience to this project. He played football at Northwestern University before earning a Master of Divinity and a Doctorate in Ministry focused on the application of truth to life. His ministry work has been mostly pastoral, but he has also spent significant time in Christian education, teaching biblical worldview to high school seniors at various Christian schools and leading senior seminar programs at Bible colleges.
Through his teaching experience, Dr. Guch identified a critical problem: a lack of biblical literacy among Christian students, even those attending Christian schools. When he asks students whether they've been taught how to study truth for themselves, the answer is consistently no. This realization drives his passion for Prep Year—to equip students with the tools to understand and apply biblical truth independently.
What Students Will Learn
The program begins with the foundational principle that the beginning of knowledge and wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Dr. Guch explains that students need to understand this biblical starting point before engaging with worldly intellect. The program teaches hermeneutics—how to study the Bible properly—using methods like "look, learn, live": examining what the biblical author said to the original audience, learning from the objective text, and then applying those truths to life.
Students will gain a thorough understanding of biblical worldview that covers:
The clarity of the gospel of Jesus Christ—His perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection
How to live in response to the gospel
Biblical perspectives on marriage, stewardship, and using gifts and talents
The Constitution and Bill of Rights from a biblical worldview
Economics from a biblical perspective
The importance of free speech as a biblical principle, rooted in God's heart for His people to worship freely
Dr. Guch emphasizes that God's heart is for humanity to live in a free society, and tyranny is not in God's plan for His people. Students will understand civic virtues and why self-government and free speech align with biblical principles.
A Typical Day at Prep Year
Students will participate in a cohort format on the seminary campus. Mornings focus on classroom learning with expert instructors who emphasize content exchange rather than just content delivery. Students actively work through how to apply what they're learning rather than passively taking notes.
Afternoons emphasize experiential learning with physical challenges like hikes, visits to museums, trips to the state capital, and engagement with public offices. This approach reflects a whole-life perspective of how the gospel impacts someone's life, not just their intellect.
Evenings include reading assignments and plenty of time for cohort interaction. Students also have access to the seminary's swimming pool and fitness center, providing college-like amenities in a safe, intentional environment. The program will conclude with attendance at AmericaFest in December.
The Students Already Applying
The caliber of students already accepted into the program is exceptional. One student scored a 33 on the ACT. Multiple students have been accepted at well-known institutions with scholarship money but are choosing to defer those opportunities to attend Prep Year first. Current applicants include worship leaders at their churches, students skilled in graphic design and photography, and young people already leading in spiritual contexts on their campuses or in homeschool environments.
Dr. Guch shares the story of one female student who wrote a 30-page document to her local governor challenging public office to take a stand on important biblical issues. She presented it well-written and researched. These students aren't looking for basic training—they're eager for someone to help them grow in what they've already begun.
Equipping Disciples with Courage and Clarity
The theological foundation of the program emphasizes a tension the Apostle Paul made clear: the choice between pleasing man or pleasing God. Dr. Guch references Acts 5, Romans 12, and Galatians 1:10, where Paul states you cannot please both man and God unless man wants what God wants—and that's not up to the individual to determine.
Students will learn to make open statements of truth, as Paul instructs in 2 Corinthians 4. Paul warned against coming with the wisdom and knowledge of man because doing so risks teaching people to follow you instead of God. Dr. Guch compares this to Moses's great sin—thinking he could turn the rock into water through his own power rather than God's.
The program will feature guest instructors including Bill Federer, Eric Lueter, Dr. Hutz Hertzberg, and Charlie Kirk himself—what Dr. Guch calls "time-tested truth tellers with humility and strength and grace all wrapped up in one package." The class sizes will be under 100 students, likely 30-40 in the first year, providing an intimate learning environment almost unheard of in modern higher education.
The Biggest Problem in Christian Education
Dr. Guch identifies the core problem facing Christian education today: it's often marketed as something it used to be but no longer is. He recalls his undergraduate experience at Northwestern when a professor presented content that Dr. Guch assumed were facts. When he asked about these facts, the professor corrected him: "They're not facts. They're theories." This moment crystallized for Dr. Guch the difference between time-tested truth and ideological theory.
He explains that much of modern education presents theories and ideologies from man and culture, while classical education focuses on foundational information, understanding, and the application of virtue and wisdom. Public education claims not to teach virtue and wisdom, but Dr. Guch argues they absolutely do—they infuse ideological applications into their teaching. The difference is whether education is rooted in biblical truth or cultural theory.
An Unprecedented Opportunity
What makes this program truly unique is the scholarship opportunity. Generous donors have provided the equivalent of $20,000 scholarships for every accepted student. This means students pay only a $1,000 deposit after completing the interview process to secure their spot. Kirk emphasizes that people won't find a better opportunity anywhere, and these scholarships won't last forever.
The program is open to high school seniors or those who graduated in the past year or two (ages 18-20) who may be drifting or uncertain about their next steps. Kirk describes Prep Year as combining foundational classical Christian and civic curriculum with an immersive, skill-based environment—as good as it gets for this type of education.
Nothing Else Like This Exists
When Kirk asks if anything like this exists in the country, Dr. Guch confirms there's nothing exactly like this, and even if someone created something similar, it hasn't been created with a full scholarship exchange. The demand for this program is already strong, with plans to expand to Illinois next fall through a partnership with Judson University and Dr. Kroom, with contracts already signed. Virginia is also being considered for future expansion.
The advantage of hosting the program on a college campus is that students get the campus vibe, activities, and energy while also having opportunities to influence other students with what they're learning. Dr. Guch notes this could become a way for Prep Year students to impact the broader college environment.
How to Apply
Interested students and parents should visit turningpointacademy.com/prepyear. The application is a three-step process:
Fill out an interest form at the bottom of the webpage
Complete the full application and send off reference forms
Participate in an interview to finalize the acceptance process
Time is limited because spaces are filling up quickly and the program needs to solidify its roster to move forward. The program launches this fall (September 2025) thanks to the generous donors who wanted this to happen immediately.
A Transformative Alternative
Kirk concludes by emphasizing that this program will be far more life-changing than just another year at a typical college. Students will dive deep into foundational ideas and emerge as sharp biblical citizens. The program will require work—it's not a lazy poolside experience—but it will engage students' hearts, challenge their preconceptions, and provoke them toward higher things and ultimate purpose.
This is what college should be, Kirk argues. Students can complete this nine-month program and then pursue whatever degree they want, but Prep Year will set them on the right course with the proper foundation. For those living nearby Fort Worth, it's not even a major logistical challenge. The program represents the practical solution to Kirk's frequent discussions about the college scam—a return to what education should actually accomplish.
Dr. Guch's final encouragement is simple: visit turningpointacademy.com, apply right now, and seize this opportunity. The scholarships won't last forever, and students won't find a better chance to prepare for life, leadership, and impact from a solidly biblical foundation.
