Frederick Classical is a public charter school located in Frederick, Maryland that offers a classical education to 376 children in Kindergarten through Grade 8. Its mission is to provide elementary and middle school-aged children in Frederick County with a well-rounded, college-focused instructional program that develops students’ knowledge, reason, and self-expression.

classical education

Our school offers a classical approach which arranges education into three stages, or the “trivium”, that roughly correspond with a student’s development. The trivium consists of the grammar, logic and rhetoric stages. The grammar stage is from grades K-4. Students learn not only English grammar but the "grammar", or fundamental knowledge and skills of all subjects. In grades 5-8, students enter the logic stage where they use reasoning to more deeply understand previous learning while acquiring additional knowledge. The final rhetoric stage occurs during the high school years. It focuses on utilizing knowledge and reason to express oneself and persuade others. Grammar, logic and rhetoric are emphasized at the appropriate stages, but are not the sole focus. Knowledge, reasoning, and self-expression play a part in all stages. Our school addresses the first two stages of the trivium.

Classical Education →

Reading Philosophy

Our school avoids educational fads that are based on philosophical beliefs, adhering instead to approaches that are supported by mainstream research. In place of the "balanced literacy" approach that often neglects phonemic awareness and phonics, our school uses a research-based reading program that includes systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics that has been shown to reach the vast majority of children.

Curriculum →