Our Curriculum

An American Classical Education

Our curriculum strongly emphasizes language, content-rich subjects, a solid foundation of core knowledge, and an in-depth exploration of the historical, literary, and scientific legacies of both the United States and Western civilization. It has been thoughtfully chosen and used for decades. The following elements are at the heart of our curriculum.

A Well-Rounded Course of Study

At Garden State Classical Academy, students receive a well-rounded education in a broad set of core disciplines, culminating in the liberal arts and sciences. All students study literature and mathematics, history and the natural sciences, the fine arts, Latin, and physical education because the K-12 years are the years in which we are still acquiring general knowledge about ourselves and the world around us. The successful development of literacy and numeracy and a solid foundation in the core subjects is necessary before advanced or specialized training and study.

Rooted in Human Nature

The study of the liberal arts does more than prepare the way for specialized training. A classical education teaches us to seek knowledge of the nature of things, especially the nature of man and of the universe as a whole. Human beings are that part of the universe that seeks to know where we stand within it, and who wonder about its ultimate origins and character. We are also driven by a desire to know ourselves—to understand our nature and purpose in life.

Human Good and Natural Order

The surest guides for this quest are the great works of literature, art, ethics, and politics that mankind has produced, which prepare for and direct our pursuit of the human good, along with the serious study of mathematics and the natural sciences, which teach us about the principles and causes of the natural order. Together with the study of history, which teaches us to know ourselves by understanding our place in the unfolding of the human story, the serious pursuit of knowledge across all subjects equips us for fully human lives.

Classical education liberates us in the true sense. It frees us from ignorance and confusion, from prejudice and delusion, and from the wild passions and fanciful hopes that can degrade and destroy us. It liberates by making us more fully rational, allowing us to see the world clearly and honestly. In revealing our nature, it necessarily reveals what we need by nature—what is right and good for us.

Curriculum Map

Through our support from Hillsdale College K-12, we plan to offer a proven curriculum that forms a complete whole, one that helps to ensure that a student’s learning is integrated between subjects and across grade levels. Within a grade, for example, history lessons connect with art, music, and literature, and science lessons connect with mathematics, history, and music. In all subjects, the foundation built in the younger grades enables deeper study as students mature.