Is Classical a Good Fit?
Classical Education May Be a Good Fit If You’re Concerned About:
- The amount of screen time or educational technology in your child’s classroom
- Your child not reaching his or her full academic potential
- Gaps in foundational skills like reading, writing, or math
- Limited use of paper, pencil, and textbooks
- Too many benchmark assessments
If any of these resonate, a classical approach offers a different approach —one that emphasizes strong fundamentals, focused attention, and meaningful, lasting learning.
Does This Sound Like Your Child?
- They’re naturally curious about “big questions.”
If your child asks things like “Why do people believe different things?” or “What makes something right or wrong?”, they may thrive in a setting that explores philosophy, history, and literature in depth rather than just covering surface facts.
- They enjoy stories, myths, and rich language.
A love for reading—especially stories, legends, or complex narratives—is a strong indicator. Classical education leans heavily on great books and storytelling as a foundation for learning.
- They like structure and clear progression.
The classical model is sequential and cumulative. Kids who do well with routines, memorization early on, and building knowledge step-by-step often find it satisfying rather than restrictive
- They’re not fully engaged by test-driven schooling.
If your child seems bored with constant test prep—but lights up when material goes deeper—that’s a meaningful signal.
- They show patience for challenging material—and are willing to practice.
Kids who are willing (or can be gently guided) to revisit concepts and build mastery through consistent practice often benefit from that steady intellectual stretch.
If these traits sound familiar, your child may flourish in a classical learning environment that builds strong foundations and fosters a lifelong love of learning.
The Need for a Classical Education
According to the most recent results of the National Assessment of Academic Progress, “U.S. students have not recovered from the devastating impact the pandemic had on education. National scores are below pre-pandemic levels (2019) in all tested grades and subjects.”[1]
Furthermore, higher-performing students drove most of the progress made in 2024, and gaps are growing between higher-performing and lower-performing students — a trend that has been occurring for more than a decade.”[2] Lastly, civic knowledge has been flat since 1998. [3]
A classical education emphasizes the great books, literacy, civic virtue, and the foundations of Western civilization. Students not only develop strong character as a result of the school’s focus on decorum and personal responsibility, but they also gain a rich understanding of western civilization by studying seminal texts and ideas. Students improve their English grammar and vocabulary given the incorporation of Latin as a subject. Lastly, students learn critical thinking as a result of classical education’s emphasis on the development of content knowledge, which also has the added effect of strengthening their reading comprehension skills.
Finally, classical education incorporates explicit instruction, which has significantly outperformed all other instructional models in basic skills, cognitive skills, and self-esteem. It also aligns with cognitive science, as research by Daniel Willingham shows that building content knowledge is essential for problem-solving and critical thinking. Hence, learning is sequential and divided into stages as shown in the diagram above.
[1] National Assessment Governing Board. (n.d.). 10 Takeaways from the Newly Released 2024 NAEP Results. https://www.nagb.gov/powered-by-naep/the-2024-nations-report-card/10-takeaways-from-2024-naep-results.html
[2] Ibid
[3] The Nation’s Report Card. (n.d.). NAEP Civics: Civics Highlights 2022. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/civics/2022/
Educational Philosophy
Our mission is to return to a focus on academic excellence – meaning highlighting the foundational skills of core subjects using mostly explicit instruction and predicated on student accountability, which we believe is the best way to develop 21st century skills among students.
The vision of the school is to equip students for citizenship through a teaching of the liberal arts and sciences and a grounding in civic virtue.
Contact info
- info@northernvirginiaclassical.org
- 571-293-2057