We offer full day primary school programs for kindergarten through second grade to support families using Memoria Press curriculum in their homeschool. Primary school classes are directed by a lead teacher. Mornings focus on academic work and afternoons focus on literature and enrichment. The only class option is the full day program. The resources below detail the content covered at school and home as well as how to prepare your student for a formal education.

Eligibility & Readiness: At HLS we are not in a rush to get a great education.

• Kindergartners must be 5 on or before July 1. For specific help in determining readiness for Memoria Press Kindergarten curriculum, see this online resource. If you are in doubt, please consider waiting a year or enrolling in our Jr. Kindergarten program for four-year-olds and young five-year-olds. There is no rush to begin formal schooling (read more at the resources below). 
• First graders must be able to read Little Bear with help and write in manuscript. 
• Second graders must be reading well with a good grasp of English phonics. If they have not already started cursive, they should start practicing. 

Starting in third grade, students begin to move into the grammar school years at HLS. Why are they called the “grammar” years? This is because the Latin grammar is the primary focus of academic work during these years. Yes, there is deep and slow work in other studies as well: Classics, Literature, Composition, Math, Science, and more. However, it is this heart of the studies, the Latin Grammar, that lends this age its title. We do not neglect to give students the classical skills that will be needed in Upper School and beyond to think and live well. We encourage you to read the articles below to better understand our approach to academics. 

Grammar school students in third through sixth grade may enroll in a full day of core classes on Tuesdays in Latin, classical studies, literature, and classical composition and a half day of classes on Thursday afternoons for science and geography (year long courses) as well as art and music theatre (semester courses). Math and spelling remain home subjects.

Students who wish to take classes à la carte may do so at $400 per course. Class placement will be based on the student’s prior experience in each field of study.

Recommended Articles

• How Latin Develops the Mind
• Latin the Next Step After Phonics
• Why Study Greek Mythology
• Memoria Press’ Two-Track History
• A Case for Memoria Press Study Guides
• The Before Exercises: Composition as Training in Virtue

Upper school students in seventh through ninth grade may enroll in a full day of core classes on Tuesdays in Latin, classical studies, literature, and classical composition and a half day of classes on Thursday afternoons in science, math, logic, and American studies. Class placement is not grade-specific and will be based on the student’s prior experience in that field of study. Students who wish to take classes à la carte may do so at $400 per course.

In the years leading up to upper school, students work diligently to acquire the classical skills of mastering the Latin grammar, reading deeply, writing clearly and beautifully, and calculating precisely. Like thoroughbreds in the gate before a race, they have prepared to run. Upper school begins, the bell rings, and the gate opens. The students go forth, delighting to do what they have been well prepared to do. Upper school students translate traditional Latin works, develop persuasive and logical arguments, delve deep in classic literature (Shakespeare, worthy novels, poetry, and philosophy), study linguistic logic and Aristotelian rhetoric, refine heightened mathematical skill, explore areas of science, and perhaps most importantly, do so under the leadership of master teachers and with a small group of like-minded peers. This is truly a fellowship of learning. We pursue wisdom and virtue together.