CLAA K-12 Recommendations Overview

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The Classical Liberal Arts Academy offers a complete, grade-by-grade classical Catholic curriculum rooted in the Trivium and Quadrivium and enriched with philosophy, Catholic theology, humanities, literature, modern mathematics, and sciences. From early reading, handwriting, and catechism in the primary grades through Latin grammar, classical logic, ethics, Sacred Scripture, and collegiate-level mathematics and science in high school, the CLAA provides a coherent and rigorous program of study for K–12 students seeking a genuine classical Catholic education.

How can we pursue both classical Catholic and modern studies?

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In the Classical Liberal Arts Academy, we seek a true classical Catholic education, while simultaneously satisfying the requirements of modern education laws. As these are two separate streams of learning, they are best kept separate, with the modern requirements being completed in an efficient manner that does not crowd out the more important studies. It must be understood that the modern K-12 grade level system never existed in world history before the public schools were created in the 1850s. The great flaw of most homeschools and private schools is that they imagine that they will follow the public school model … Continue

Is the CLAA accredited?

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Yes, the CLAA is accredited by Cognia. In July 2024, the Classical Liberal Arts Academy (CLAA) achieved full accreditation from Cognia, the world’s largest accrediting agency, serving over 32,000 schools in more than 90 countries. This honor affirms the CLAA’s commitment to excellence in classical education and its alignment with rigorous global standards. Notably, the CLAA earned an Index of Educational Quality (IEQ) score of 320, which significantly surpasses Cognia’s average benchmark of 253, highlighting the Academy’s dedication to high-quality instruction, institutional effectiveness, and continuous improvement.

Who is Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.?

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Mr. William C. Michael, O.P., is the founder and headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. A Dominican tertiary devoted to the preservation and renewal of classical Catholic education, Mr. Michael has spent more than two decades researching, restoring, and republishing the original sources of the classical liberal arts curriculum. He is the author of Understanding Classical Catholic Education and numerous scholarly articles on classical philosophy, Scholastic theology, and Catholic education. Since founding the Academy in 2008, he has worked to make the full classical curriculum—rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, the writings of Aristotle, and the teachings of the … Continue

What Should Christians Be Doing?

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Good Works. The unfortunate result of the debate between Protestants and Catholics regarding the nature of good works is that Christian works have been compartmentalized and thus left mostly undone in our age. The daily work of Christians is reduced to mere faith – even if one accepts the Catholic doctrine of the merit of works, they are understood to be something done by clerics, or nuns, or extraordinary people like saints. But this was never the understanding of Christian works in history. Rather, Christians have always understood good works to be essential, central, and necessary to one’s lived experience … Continue

Writing Advice from C.S. Lewis

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The following points of advice were written by C.S. Lewis in 1959.  The comments on each point are mine. 1. Turn off the Radio. In 1959, the radio was considered a source of distracting noise by Lewis, and we can only imagine what he would think of the television, internet, social media and smartphones today. The point here is that to write well, we need to guard our minds from the distractions of the world’s noise and focus them on our goal.  This would extend to other noise as well.  We need silence. 2. Read all the good books you … Continue

Thinking of the Natural World without Atoms

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All of us have been raised in modern society, which is dominated by one particular school of thought.  We have been taught from our youth that the world is composed of invisible bodies, called “atoms”, which explain the behaviors of all natural objects we see, feel, tasks, hear and smell. This worldview is so pervasive that few, if any, can even think of an alternative. Yet, for most of world history, this worldview was never held by wise men. Let’s be clear:  The existence of atoms is not a scientific fact.  The existence of atoms is a theory used to … Continue