FAQs

List of 22 frequently asked questions.

• How does it work?

  TCS students are given four (K-5th) or five (6th-9th) days of curriculum in our model - two days of lesson plans to be completed during their school-at-home days, the rest to be completed with a professional teacher on our campus. 
  
  Kindergarten through 5th Grade (Grammar School) students are on-campus Tuesdays & Thursdays with an optional half-day of electives on Friday. TCS 6th through 8th Grade (School of Logic) students are on-campus Tuesdays, Thursdays & half-day Fridays. Finally, 9th Grade (School of Rhetoric) students are on-campus Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays. 
  
  

  • For on-campus days, your student will attend a full day of core curriculum classes.
  • On home days, you act as a coteacher, instructing your child in the provided lesson plans.
  • Friday classes are half day and optional in Grammar School; half day and required for School of Logic; and full day and required for School of Rhetoric.

• But I’ve never taught before. Can I do this?

  You’ve been teaching all along!  You are your child’s first teacher, and we will equip you to be successful within this model.  We will provide mandatory parent training before school begins.  This training will include setting up an effective at-home environment for learning, curriculum instruction, and other helpful resources to support you as the home educator.  We hire enthusiastic, knowledgeable, Christ-following classroom teachers.  Coteachers (as our home educators are called) will have access to those teachers on school-at-home days through office hours and email.  In addition, each classroom will have a group thread where the parents of those students can communicate and connect with one another.

• Where is your campus?

  We meet at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 777 West San Antonio St., New Braunfels, Texas

• What are the benefits?

  • The opportunity to be highly involved in your child’s education
  • More individualized instruction from you as needed
  • More flexibility for family time and intentional discipleship
  • A meaningful connection to a community of classical, Christian learners

• Are you interested in hearing more?

  Join us for a Prospective Parent Meeting and tour (a required part of the application process.)

• Do students have to enroll in the full schedule of classes?

  The Classical School of New Braunfels offers a full-time education that happens in two places.  Our program consists of four or five days each week of rigorous classroom education in our core curriculum.  In Grammar School, two days each week of that education will take place in a classroom on our campus with a certified teacher.  In our School of Logic, students will be in the classroom 2 and a half days a week, and in School of Rhetoric, students will be in the classroom for 3 full days.  The classrooms teachers then provide lesson plans for the remaining two days to be administered at home by the home educator.  The at-home instruction, two days per week, is not optional; it is an integral part of your child’s education.  All the instruction days are necessary to complete their grade level and, ultimately, to receive a diploma and transcript from The Classical School of New Braunfels.  We do not offer core classes a la carte.  *In Grammar School, we offer an optional half day of elective classes on campus.

• Can we still apply if we are not a Christian or do not attend a local church? 

  As a discipleship-model Christian school and because of the nature of the collaborative model, we require at least one parents to profess to be Christ-followers and both parents to agree to our Statement of Faith and Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality.  We also require a Church Reference for all applicants. If a family wishes to apply but does not have a home church, we ask that they attend church, get involved, and then apply for admission. 

• What grades are currently offered? 

  We launched TCS in the fall of 2022 with K-6th grade and have added a grade each year.  We plan to add one additional grade each subsequent year until we are a full K-12 school.  In the 2025-2026 school year we will offer grades K through 9.  Students must be five years old by August 31st to enter kindergarten.  

• What is the typical class size? 

  Each class of students is different, but we aim for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1 in grades K-2 and we cap other Grammar School grades at 15 students.  As such, we anticipate that some grade levels will have a waitlist.  

• How can students transition successfully into a model like The Classical School? 

  We realize that many students entering The Classical School will have limited to no experience in the classical education model.  As such, we offer a broad range of support for our families and students during their transition period.  As many who have gone before us can attest, students are resilient and pliable.   Time and again we have watched students adjust easily as the foundation of classical education is designed to meet students in their developmental stage strengths. Additionally, our teachers receive quality instruction and training from schools with years of experience implementing this growing and exciting educational model.  They are well prepared to implement classical methods in their classroom and to assist coteachers in doing the same.  As for the study of Latin, students will not be expected to have any previous knowledge regardless of grade level.  In upper grades we offer a summer bootcamp to prepare them for entering in the fall.   

• What are the academic expectations of students? 

  The Classical School of New Braunfels upholds high expectations of our students with support for success.  Our goal is the formation of the student, not merely the transmission of information to them.  Students can be expected to be challenged and also to grow to believe they can do (and will do!) hard things.  Our focus is quality over quantity.  Classroom work should fall within the expected hours, and a well-rounded student will have life outside of the classroom.  We encourage participation in sports and the arts.  Family time is precious and because of our collaborative model, our families should get a great deal of quality time learning and growing together!  

• Without teaching experience, how can I help my child be successful with this educational model? 

  You’ve been teaching all along!  You are your child’s first teacher, and we will equip you to be successful within this model.   We see you as a partner in the education of your student and, as the coteacher, the description of your role changes as your student progresses through grade levels.  We provide mandatory parent training before school begins and ongoing training and support throughout the year.  Our aim is to help equip you for the task by offering training specific to curriculum, classical methodology, and schooling at home.  We also hire enthusiastic, knowledgeable, Christ-following classroom teachers, and our coteachers have access to them on school-at-home days through office hours and email.  In addition, each classroom has a group thread where coteachers can communicate and connect with one another. 

• What will be required of parents/home teachers? 

  Coteachers play an active role on school-at-home days.  In Grammar School, the coteacher provides instruction at home guided by daily lesson plans provided each week by the classroom teacher.  As a student progress into the Schools of Logic and Rhetoric, the lesson plans are written to the student.  The coteacher role in later grades morphs into more of a tutor and guide as the student learns the necessary study skills to work more and more independently.  Coteachers participate in a mandatory training before school begins in the fall and will receive on-going support throughout the year.   Coteachers can expect to learn alongside their students and to enjoy ever-deepening conversations together over stories from history, Biblical exegesis, scientific theories, and rich complexities of great literary works.   As parents partner with classroom teachers, they model life-long learning for their students.  There is so much to discover as we look back on concepts we never fully grasped (or maybe don’t remember)! 

• What is the time commitment on school-at-home days? 

  There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.  Every student learns at a different pace and every family has its own set of influencing factors and dynamics on home days.  For example, the pacing of a home day for a family with 3 students in different grades will look much different from a family with one student.  Generally, you may expect about two hours of work in kindergarten and for each numerical grade to add about one more hour of work through fifth grade.  (1st grade = 2-3 hours of work on school-at-home days, 2nd grade = 3-4 hours, 3rd grade = 4-5 hours, 4th grade = 5-6 hours, 5th grade & above = about 6 hours).  However, as students get older, they also become more and more independent, requiring less direct instruction from their coteacher.  During your first year in this model, expect a transition.  If your school-at-home days fall well above or below these hours, your classroom teacher will be available to guide, support and troubleshoot with you. 

• How do I do this with multiple kids? 

  Just like the commercials, you can do this; we can help!  Generally, our classroom teachers provide the primary instruction so that students receive the initial teaching they need in the classroom to complete their assignments at home.  Their lesson plans will provide specific instruction as to what is to be accomplished on any given home day.  Answer keys will be provided, when necessary, as coteachers help their students make corrections.  We offer training and curricular help, and perhaps most importantly, COMMUNITY to help support and equip you in the task of facilitating learning at home, even if you’re juggling little ones not yet enrolled in school milling about.   

• What subject areas can I expect to be covered? 

  A Christian, classical education provides well-rounded students prepared for whatever the future may hold. The early Grammar School (K-5) years at The Classical School are a time of wonder and excitement as our teachers strive to develop in students a deep love of learning.  The curricular emphasis during these years is on learning basic facts and figures during a stage when children love to memorize—and when they are best at doing so.  You can expect your child to receive a Biblical worldview through teaching in mathematics, history, science, literature, grammar, spelling, and writing.  K-1 will have teaching in phonics and penmanship. Our 2nd grade students learn to write in cursive.  Students in 3rd grade begin their study of Latin.  

   

  Students in our School of Logic (6-8) are growing rapidly as is their capacity for abstract thought.  They give attention to cause and effect, succinct patterns, and reason.  As such, the curricular emphasis during these years is on learning how to think critically and logically while becoming a self-learner.  They take informal and formal Logic during this stage and are also given opportunities to grow their capacity for managing their time, schedule, and demands. 

   

  With minds full of knowledge and the capacity to logically synthesize what they have learned into meaningful arguments, students in our School of Rhetoric are prepared to focus on expression.  The curricular emphasis during these years is therefore on articulate and winsome expression both in written and oral form.  Students engage in meaningful discussion and debate collaboratively on a variety of topics, reflecting upon the virtue, ethics and wisdom to be found as they study each subject.

• Why Latin?

  Students at The Classical School study Latin because no other language is its equal in helping a student develop a rich English vocabulary.  The study of Latin is an introduction to etymology—how words are formed and how original meanings are extended.  Knowing Latin derivatives allows students to use words effectively, and thus to elevate their daily speech and writing.  One of the chief aims of a classical education is to prepare students to know truth and to be able to effectively articulate and defend the same in spoken and written word.  Latin study advances this effort.  On a practical note, those who study Latin (in comparison to other languages) consistently receive higher scores on the SAT in reading, writing, and in overall score. 

  For more on this topic, please see this article: Ten Reasons for Studying Latin (https://www.memoriapress.com/articles/top-10-reasons-studying-latin/) 

• Will students be required to wear uniforms? 

  Yes, students at TCS wear uniforms provided by Lands End.  Just as a player in the NFL has specific articles of clothing to wear as part of his team, we have specific standards and policies for what our students wear in the classroom so that they may focus on learning while they are here. 

• What extracurricular activities will be available to The Classical School students and when?

  We are in the process of gradually building out our extracurricular offerings at The Classical School in both athletic and fine arts offerings.  We anticipate offering a few team sports to our School of Logic and School of Rhetoric students during the 2025-2026 school year.  Our Friday elective classes include both Art and Music and all of our School of Logic students participate in choir.  We also anticipate offering additional opportunities for our students to engage the fine arts during the 2025-2026 school year and beyond.

• What are the tuition and fees for attending TCS?

  The tuition for The Classical School  of New Braunfels for the 2025-2026 school year is as follows:
  Junior Kindergarten - $4,500
  Grammar School (K-5) - $6,425
  School of Logic (6-8) - $7,375
  School of Rhetoric (9) - $8,475
  Optional Friday Electives (K-5)- $1,250
  
  Fees include a $200 application fee and a $400 enrollment fee per student.
  
  Book costs are approximately as follows:
  Junior Kindergarten - no cost
  Kindergarten - $300
  Grades 1-5 - $500
  Grades 6-9 - $400
  
  Uniforms are required and can be purchased through Lands' End.
  
  If you have additional questions or need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

• Where can I learn more about classical education? 

  A great starting place is An Introduction to Classical Education by Christopher Perrin. “The Lost Tools of Learning” by Dorothy L. Sayers is credited for the renewed interest in classical education and might be a helpful place to begin.  For a longer read, but comprehendible by those newer to the subject: The Well-trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer.  And for those really wanting to dive deep into the topic, we appreciated Charles T. Evans and Robert Littlejohn’s take on classical education called Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning.  There are also several good podcasts available about classical education, such as Basecamp Live.

• How can I apply to teach at The Classical School? 

  We anticipate having open teaching positions for the 2025-2026 school year.  Please check back in early February for more specific information about availability and how to apply.