Not All ‘Classical’ Schools Are Created Equal

The new school year is well underway, and a record number of students are now enrolled in classical schools across America. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of classical schools — which train students in the liberal arts and traditional tools of grammar, logic, and rhetoric — grew from 1,287 schools to 1,551. That number has almost certainly risen further, with new schools opening nationwide this year and educating at least 677,000 students and counting.

For parents looking for an education that prizes creativity, cultural literacy, and independent thought over standardized-test-driven instruction, this is very good news. Yet the recent proliferation of classical schools also presents a problem: Schools that share the name “classical” embody very different kinds of education, and the most consequential differences are often the least obvious.

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Jonathan J. Sanford

Jonathan J. Sanford is president of the University of Dallas.

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The new school year is well underway, and a record number of students are now enrolled in classical schools across America. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of classical schools — which train students in the liberal arts and traditional tools of grammar, logic, and rhetoric — grew from 1,287 schools to 1,551. That number has almost certainly risen further, with new schools opening nationwide this year and educating at least 677,000 students and counting.

For parents looking for an education that prizes creativity, cultural literacy, and independent thought over standardized-test-driven instruction, this is very good news. Yet the recent proliferation of classical schools also presents a problem: Schools that share the name “classical” embody very different kinds of education, and the most consequential differences are often the least obvious.