After decades of neglect, classics are hot! Classics mean more than just Latin and Greek. It is an interdisciplinary field, embracing every aspect of Greco-Roman antiquity and the formidable influence of those cultures on the subsequent development of western civilization. Classics provides valuable insight into the ways in which the past has shaped the world’s present languages, literatures, religions, political and scientific thought, and artistic traditions. A growing number of educators are coming to acknowledge that this historically informed approach to both science and humanities is an essential component of a truly liberal education.



At the very time Catholic schools, which have traditionally been a primary source of Latin-based learning, are closing, demand for classics and literature-based learning is on the rise. With over 50,000 members, The National Junior Classical League is the largest classical association in the world. It is the largest student led organization in the world! A growing number of young Americans are taking the National Latin Exam. In 2009, 137,225 students signed up and took the exam, with participation is from all fifty states. Nationally, this represents a 25% increase in participation during period of 2000-2009. Every student needs preparation.


The American home school market for classical content now tops $1 billion annually.

The National Home Education Research Institute states that an estimated 1.8 to 2.5 million K-12 children were home-schooled during 2007-2008 in the United States, with an estimated growth of 5% to 12% per year over the past few years. Conservatively, more than two million students were home schooled in the U.S. during the spring of 2008.

Year.......... Number of home schooled students
1999......... 850,000
2003....... 1,097,000
2008....... 2,000,000 +

The average curriculum cost for a home school child is $732 per year, representing a niche educational market of approximately $1.5 billion annually. Eighty percent of that total expenditure—or about $1.2 billion—is spent on specifically “classical” materials from providers including Veritas, Core Knowledge, Covenant Home, Thomas Aquinas and many others.

A Paradigm Shift – From The Information Age to the Conceptual Age
> By 2020, approximately one fourth of all American school children will be receiving a “classical” or literature-based education—and the percentage will continue to rise.
> In India, China and emerging economies, they are not looking for more STEM or “training.” They already have that. They want their children to have a western style liberal arts education.
> In England (where it all began) Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron, has already released a detailed plan to fund 700 new classical grammar schools. (Classical schools)

There is a growing awareness that, although science and technology are necessary components of a 21st century education, the study of them alone is not sufficient to ensure personal prosperity or national greatness. The renewed study of philosophy, history, civics and humane letters represents our best path to cultural renewal and international leadership. After decades of calculated abandonment, the classics are the new frontier of useful knowledge.

In the New York Times bestseller, A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future, Daniel H. Pink makes the case for the emerging ascendency of liberal arts and what we call “classical education.” He explains that just as the 18th century was an agricultural age and the 19th century an industrial age, the 20th century was an information age. It is over. We still need agriculture, we still need industry and we still need information, but the 21st century will be all about conceptualization.

The Farmer > The Industrial Worker > The Information Manager > The Conceptual Creator