Classical education is making a comeback.

The number of classical schools has doubled in the past decade, with hundreds opening since the pandemic alone.

Homeschoolers have been at the forefront of this revival, following hybrid approaches that combine online courses (like Great Hearts Online), local co-ops (like Classical Conversations), and traditional curricula. This mixing and matching—of old and new, in-person and online—exemplifies what we call 'open education.'

But pinning down exactly what "classical education" means has proven difficult. This may be more of a feature than a bug—the variety of options means families can choose approaches that align with their specific goals. Yet to understand the possibilities, we need to first pin down what modern families are trying to recover.

What is Classical Education?

The debate begins with the term itself. Ancient Greeks didn't call it "classical education"—they just called it education. (Like how Italians don't call pasta carbonara 'Italian food.')

In fact, the phrase was rarely used until 1994, when Douglas Wilson founded what became the Association of Classical Christian Schools.

Aloysius Aeschliman, a scholar of early modern education and Latin teacher at the Geneva School in Orange County, points out that “there's no clear historical precedent which people can base [the term classical education] on.”

Instead, he identifies three distinct periods that are often conflated by modern classical education advocates:

Antiquity: Philosophers like Cicero pioneered the artes liberales, the "liberating arts" that would free the mind for independent thought and effective citizenship (though this was available to only a small class of privileged males).

Medieval Cathedral Schools: After Rome's fall, education was still limited to a tiny percentage of literate people. Most learning happened in monasteries or around cathedrals for those training for religious life.

Attempting to recreate ancient or medieval approaches today would be more like historical reenactment than actual education, Aeschliman notes. These societies were so different that even if it were technically possible, you wouldn't necessarily want to replicate them.

The third period, Renaissance Humanistic Schools, lasted from the late 1400s through the 1800s with remarkable consistency—building on the previous two. This was the first systematic educational model that modern families could realistically emulate.

The Modern Revival

In 1947, British author and scholar Dorothy Sayers proposed a renewed vision of classical education in a lecture called "The Lost Tools of Learning."

In it, she coined memorable new terms for the developmental stages of the medieval “trivium”:

• "Poll-parrot" stage (grammar): young children who love to memorize
• "Pert" stage (logic): middle schoolers who love to argue
• "Poetic" stage (rhetoric): teenagers who are ready to express themselves

This lecture, later adapted into an essay, sparked three dominant strands of the modern classical education movement:

1. Susan Wise Bauer's The Well-Trained Mind for homeschoolers
2. Mortimer Adler's Great Books movement
3. Wilson's classical Christian schools

Each drew inspiration from earlier traditions.

What unifies the modern classical education movement is its fundamental respect for the Western tradition. It takes the wisdom of the ancients seriously and encourages a more integrated curriculum centered on learning to think critically. This contrasts with much of modern education, which often neglects classical Western texts and divides knowledge into distinct subjects, administered in 50-minute increments.

Classical Education Model vs. Modern Education

The longest-lasting historical model flourished in Europe for several hundred years—from Renaissance humanistic schools through 18th-century academies. Its advocates, including Erasmus, called it "humanistic education." 

Douglas Wilson found compelling historical precedent for this model's superiority in early 19th century Germany. Germany had introduced science-focused "real schools" (Realschule) alongside its more traditional humanistic schools. Students from humanistic schools (emphasizing Latin, Greek, and literature) consistently outperformed the “real school” students at Universities—even in the sciences they'd never formally studied.

This pattern shows up today in classical schools like Great Hearts and its flexible virtual program, Great Hearts Online, which emphasize foundational critical thinking over standardized curricula.

As Dr. Roger La Marca, Director of Great Hearts Online, explains: "Paradoxically, it's not by prepping kids for the test that they achieve the best scores; it's by teaching them to learn so they pursue knowledge on their own. A very high percentage of our graduates end up in science, technology, engineering, and medical fields because we teach them logic, rhetoric, reading, and grammar."

Classical Education and Homeschooling

The historical humanistic model worked on three key principles: personal tutoring (not classroom management), deep study of the same great texts over years, and true integration where Latin was the medium of instruction. 

Today, only one school successfully maintains an immersive classical-language approach: the Vivarium Novum in Italy, where students speak only Latin and Greek. "Everybody who graduates speaks fluent Latin and reads classics fluently," Aeschliman observes.

But whether or not you're ready to go full-on Ancient-Latin-Language-Immersion, homeschooling naturally recreates much of what made the humanistic model so powerful. Instead of managing thirty students, parents give individualized attention and adapt to each child's pace. Families can weave subjects together naturally—reading Plutarch covers history, literature, character formation, and writing all at once. They can integrate character development into daily rhythm. And rather than racing through state standards, families can spend months with rich texts that capture their child's imagination.

With this understanding, the practical question becomes: what resources can help families implement classical education effectively?

Classical Education Curriculum and Resources

"But I Don't Have a Classical Education Myself"

This is a common worry that applies to homeschooling beyond just the topic of classical education. How can you teach Calculus if you never learned it? How can you discuss Aristotle if you haven't read him?

The good news is you don't need to be a scholar to implement classical education (or any other subject). You need to be willing to learn alongside your child and know how to find the right resources.

Families have access to resources that make classical education more achievable than ever before.

Great Hearts Online provides expert classical instruction while maintaining homeschooling flexibility. Families can take individual courses through their Flex Program or complete programs. The Flex Program allows part-time enrollment for specific subjects like Latin, logic, or literature. This kind of educational customization was impossible just a decade ago.

Great Books programs serve families seeking deep engagement with Western tradition. Originally conceived as somewhat remedial—helping students who lacked basic cultural references—these programs remain valuable for building foundational knowledge.

Classical Co-ops—chief among them, Classical Conversations—offer weekly community meetings where trained tutors guide students through memory work and discussions. This hybrid approach combines homeschool flexibility with classroom interaction.

Many families start small: begin with great books and family read-alouds, add Latin when children show interest, incorporate memory work gradually, or use classical approaches in some subjects while maintaining others elsewhere.

And for families committed to recreating the "gold standard" of deep study of classical texts (in the original languages), the core curriculum starts with Latin. Aeschliman recommends the University of Dallas "Latin Through Stories" series for K-5 students, and Lingua Latina as the best option for advanced middle or high school students who want authentic Latin immersion.

Beyond this foundational Latin study (which enables all further engagement with original classical texts like Virgil's Aeneid), families have dozens of other options.

All-in-one Programs & Curricula

• Classical Conversations - Weekly community meetings with curriculum (~$1,200-2,400/year) †
• Memoria Press - Complete K-12 packages with parent guides (~$400-800/grade) †
• Veritas Press - Self-paced and live online options (~$500-3,000/year) †
• The Well-Trained Mind - Book roadmap for classical homeschooling ($35) plus Academy online courses (~$375/course)

Latin Resources

Elementary (Ages 6-10):

• University of Dallas Latin Through Stories Series - Stories in correct Latin, "the best option for little kids now" (~$15-20/book)
• Song School Latin - Songs and chants (~$25-50)
• Minimus - Cartoon mouse in Roman Britain (~$20/book)
• Prima Latina - Structured introduction (~$40 set) †
• Visual Latin - Video lessons with humor (~$95)

Middle School (Ages 10-13):

• Lingua Latina - Immersive reading method (~$30)
• Latin for Children - 3 levels with videos (~$40/level)
• Cambridge Latin Course - Story-based Pompeii series (~$30/book or free online)

High School (Ages 14-18):

• Lingua Latina - Immersive reading method, excellent for high school (~$30)
• Wheelock's Latin - College-level text (~$40)
• Henle Latin - Traditional approach (~$20/book) †
• Latin Alive! - Modern classical curriculum (~$30/book)

Greek Resources

• Elementary Greek - Koine for beginners (~$30/level) †
• Greek for Children - CAP's Greek series (~$40/level)
• Hey, Andrew! Teach Me Some Greek! - Workbook series (~$15/book) †
• Athenaze - Classical Attic Greek (~$50/book)

History & Literature

• Story of the World - 4-volume narrative history (~$20/volume + $50 activity book)
• D'Aulaires' Greek Myths - Illustrated mythology (~$20)
• Famous Men series - Greece and Rome biographies (~$17/book) †
• Free: Archive.org classics, Project Gutenberg

Logic, Rhetoric & Writing

• The Art of Argument - Introduction to informal logic (~$26)
• Traditional Logic - Formal logic program (~$45) †
• Institute for Excellence in Writing - Composition curriculum (~$200-400/level)
• The Fallacy Detective - Logic for younger students (~$22)

Mathematics & Science

• Saxon Math - Traditional approach (~$100/level)
• Singapore Math - Conceptual foundation (~$80/level)
• Euclid's Elements (Green Lion Press) - Original proofs (~$35)
• DragonBox Elements - Geometry game app ($5-8)

Creative Resources & Games

• Rummy Roots - Card game for Latin/Greek roots (~$15)
• Operation Lapis - RPG for learning Latin (varies)
• Scorpio Martianus - YouTube spoken Latin (free)
• Learn Latin community - Active Latin learning community on X (free)
• Greeking Out podcast - Kid-friendly mythology (free)
• Duolingo Latin - Gamified basics (free)

Key: † indicates faith-based or religious curriculum

The Open Education Advantage

Whether you choose a complete classical program, blend classical elements with other approaches, or simply begin reading great books as a family, you're participating in humanity's longest educational tradition.

As Dr. La Marca puts it: "If you're looking for an approach that will challenge your child to grow into their best self, prepare them for success in any field they choose, and equip them with the timeless skills and virtues they need to thrive in an ever-changing world, look no further than classical education."

For those ready to go deeper, the tools and methods that sustained European humanistic education for centuries remain available, not as historical curiosities but as living educational principles waiting to be rediscovered.

The "lost tools of learning" aren't lost for good—they're just waiting to be found again.

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