Our materials and methods offer the best of time-tested education. Our curriculum is built around the classical liberal arts and sciences, with a strong emphasis on civic education. Students study “the best which has been thought and said,” including original sources and classic literature. From first to last, our curriculum has been designed with our primary goal in mind: to cultivate wise and virtuous men and women and responsible citizens.
- The curriculum withstands the test of time. Our aims, content, and methods are traditional. Standardized tests do not drive the curriculum.
- The curriculum is content-rich and academically rigorous, providing the knowledge and skills needed for high levels of academic success.
- The curriculum builds cultural literacy. The Western tradition occupies the central place, though not the sole one. Within Western civilization, students engage in a rich and recurring examination of America’s traditions.
- The curriculum is knowledge-rich. From the earliest grades, students enjoy an integrated sequence that systematically builds the content knowledge necessary for advanced study and clear communication.
- The curriculum is language-rich. Students learn to read and write through traditional instruction in phonics, grammar, and composition. They also study Latin root words and Latin.
- The curriculum is anchored in the classics. From the earliest ages, students are introduced to great works of art, music, and literature, whether old or new, and to the enduring questions those works explore.
- The curriculum offers a conceptual understanding of math and science along with the foundation skills necessary for future learning.
- The pedagogy seeks to cultivate a spirit of inquiry and a habit of active learning through close reading, Socratic dialogue, memorization, recitation, and experiments.
- The environment is characterized by order, decorum, and respect.
- Technology is used minimally. It is treated as a tool to be used where helpful, not as an alternative to teaching.