Academics
A strong academic sequence is the cornerstone of this. Nothing is included in a student’s academic day without strategic forethought. We ensure the time a student spends in class is used to further the vision of the school, agreeing with Thoreau that one “cannot kill time without injuring eternity.”
Academic Honesty
Classical Preparatory School aims to instill within its students ten habits that all contribute to our students’ integrity and character development.
Honors Programs
The CPS Honors Programs are through the Jefferson’s Scholars: Gifted Program for 2nd-8th graders: Language, Arts, and Science.
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Therefore, the board and administration choose the content, courses, and curricula with careful thought.
Ask us why:
- Scholars must study Shakespeare, Plato, Socrates, Homer, Virgil, and other great thinkers of the past.
- Primary sources form the basis for high school level history, literature, and philosophy courses.
- Juniors must perform a classical text in Latin and English.
- Seniors must write a thesis on the Nature of Humanity and defend it before faculty.
- All scholars memorize speeches and poetry and perform them in front of an audience several times a year.
- All scholars are required to master geography, including a requirement to draw a map of the world from memory with mountains, bodies of water, and countries and capitals.
- Scholars must know a history timeline with more than 80 events.
- Middle school scholars must take two logic classes.
- Learning cursive is required.
- Grammar is taught explicitly in 3rd through 8th grades.
- Four years of science are required in high school.
- High school scholars must study philosophy.
- Teachers use the Habits of Classical Prep (including the Habit of Perfect Execution, the Habit of Reflection and the Habit of Fortitude) for character training in the classroom.
Grammar School (Grades K-5)
For grades K-5, CPS offers Grammar School to teach grammar, Latin, classic literature, and cursive, as well as systematically introduced to knowledge in math, science, geography, history, and the arts.
Strategically Planned Continuum
CPS Curriculum
In a classical education, K-12 courses are presented based upon a strategically planned continuum, with the purpose of producing graduates who are able to think analytically, write persuasively, and speak confidently. Scholars are thus presented with the knowledge, skills, and character training needed to be tomorrow’s intellectual and moral leaders.
Enabling Scholars to Pursue an Ideal
Habits
In pursuing the virtues, a scholar learns to ask, “What kind of person should I be?” This then helps them define, “What should I do?” The order of this questioning is important. The former question must be asked first. Virtues enable scholars to pursue an ideal, not a mindless checklist of rules. Below is a list of our pillars with links to recent research affirming the importance of each in achieving success in life. These virtues are then developed through learning and practice at school, including the Habits of Classical Prep.
- Attention
- Memorization
- Perfect Execution
- Order
- Reflection
- Courtesy
- Obedience
- Truthfulness
- Fortitude
- Temperance