What is Classical Education?

Classical Christian education is an educational category which establishes a biblical worldview (called Paideia) by incorporating ancient methods of student development.  It includes the cultivation of the 7 Christian Virtues, training student reasoning through the Trivium (Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric), and interacting with the historical Great Books. A private, classical Christian education uses methods and content that develop thinking, articulate, well-rounded graduates.

There are seven Christian virtues we cultivate (Justice, Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, Faith, Hope, and Love) that should mark a Christian community. To these, we add the many virtues taught in history and the Scriptures. We do this through story, habit, recitation, and community standards.

Age Specific K-12 Learning

Classical Christian schools use the children’s God-given strengths at each stage of growth to help them learn; young children enjoy memorizing, singing, and rhymes, so a solid foundation is laid in each subject of study at this age; junior high students are inquisitive, so we develop their ability to reason and discern truth; high school students want to talk, so we teach them how to present their ideas persuasively. The result is a graduate who knows what they believe and why, and can positively impact the community around them.

Christ-centered Curriculum

Classical Christian schools teach all subjects based on the principle that God is the Creator of all that exists, and therefore all knowledge is interrelated and points back to Him. Biblical standards of conduct are applied in all arenas of school life, acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. The schools acknowledge that God has given parents the responsibility for the education of their children and that the schools instruct those students under the parents’ delegated authority. Most graduates remain faithful to Christ even through college and have a heart to serve others.

Time-tested Methods & Content

Classical Christian schools develop skills to equip students to be lifetime learners by teaching students that every subject is comprised of certain defining facts with an orderly organization of the information, and a concise and persuasive way in which to present the acquired material. This method of instruction has been in use for hundreds of years, and is the means which produced most of history’s great thinkers; it is the new “old-way” of educating students with a long history of success. Graduates are familiar with reading, writing, Latin, logic, math, science, rhetoric, and the fine arts resulting in gracious, knowledgeable, and thoughtful men and women.

Academically Rigorous

Students are capable of achieving much more than is commonly thought, and therefore classical Christian schools have high expectations for student learning. Students learn to love the subjects that their teachers love and cheerfully follow the godly example of their instructors. Students with a classical Christian education experience the personal satisfaction that is inherent in mastering a difficult task.

Nurturing Community

A classical Christian school is a community of parents and teachers who share a commitment for teaching children to love learning and grow in godliness. Smaller class sizes ensure that teachers know their students and are better able to serve them individually. Students know they are loved and not just another face in the crowd while openly manifesting deep appreciation and respect for their parents and teachers.