Some of our teachers began teaching online — not as a stopgap amid pandemic shutdowns — in the mid-1990s. Our faculty now includes some of our former students who, after four years of college and often advanced degrees, still consider our approach to classical education as rewarding and productive as any they know. Some online education may be a fill-in until something better comes along. Ours is not.
“Scholars Online offers more rigorous, more intellectually honest, better rounded, and more socially stimulating education than any of the universities I have attended as student or taught at as faculty.”
John Esposito, PhD
Study for mastery.
Not for grades.
Yes, we will give you a grade if you want or need one. But our goal is for the student — at whatever level — to achieve real mastery of the subject. Some of the students leaving Scholars Online for college classes have a level of mastery on a par with students entering graduate study in their fields. This obviously will give the student a strong push ahead in college — but more importantly a real grasp of the material for its own sake.
“These folks are amazing. The depth of reading, historical background, and knowledge they possess and impart to their students lasts a lifetime. If you’re a homeschooling parent or considering it, Dr. M’s literature classes are truly college-preparatory.”
Rachel B.
Learn for life.
Not for school.
Our academic track record clearly shows that our students are prepared to continue with and excel in their studies. But more importantly, they are prepared to live an informed life dedicated to the search for truth. We welcome adults to our program; many have found that it gives them what their college experience has not.
“I can’t begin to share all that our kids have learned from Scholars Online....yes, they have learned to balance a full work load and manage their time wisely. They have learned to make notecards and study in new, efficient ways. They have learned to meet rigorous deadlines. More importantly, their professors are teaching them to think....REALLY think. They are learning to respectfully discuss opposing viewpoints, they are grappling with ideas that point to a higher purpose.”
Stacy M.
Who Are You?
A parent seeking:
A full college-prep curriculum or a flexible selection
Accommodation for highly gifted or special-needs students
An accredited program with a proven track record
A student seeking:
Courses to recommend to your parents
Exciting subjects you can't find elsewhere
An adult seeking:
Ongoing education for high school equivalency
Post-graduate or enrichment courses
Who We Are
A community of scholars
We are all students. Some of us teach.
Multi-generational
Former students teach with us; others send their own children. Adults, including parents and teachers, take classes too.
Respectful
We take our students seriously as moral agents and as thinkers, and measure ourselves in charity against the truth alone.
Grounded
We rely on both traditional and innovative methods and tools, favoring neither innovation nor tradition for its own sake.
Rigorous
We measure ourselves in charity against the truth alone; hard work forms character.
Thorough
We don't use shortcuts. For the student willing to accept the challenge, we have extensive offerings in most areas — up to six or seven years where relevant.
2022-2023 Summer and Academic Year Courses
Greek Courses for 2022-2023
Greek I
Grades 6 and up
The first year of our two-year Introduction to Greek covers the basics of Attic Greek and prepares students to read the New Testament as well as selects from classical Greek authors.
Ready to read some Greek now that you've mastered forms and constructions? We'll cover excerpts from history, comedy, and Plato's Apology to help you develop fluency in reading ancient Greek.
SitdemExplore the complex history of the United States through close analysis of sources and textbook summaries, then engage in class discussions to discover the background of current complex issues.
We will cover the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval periods in each of the six major regions of the world, giving students a fundamental understanding of human cultures around the globe.
Grasp the fundamentals of geography in all its branches, along with the discipline of mapmaking, in this whirlwind tour of the seven continents, then share your favorite spots with fellow students.
Students cover the first half of Wheelock's Latin course, acquiring a firm basis in Latin grammar and vocabulary by using discussion, short readings, and translation exercises to cement concepts.
Students cover the second half of Wheelock's Latin course, and improve their ability to read through translations of longer selections, and mastery of the more subtle points of Latin grammar.
Ready to read some real Latin now that you've mastered forms and constructions? We'll read excerpts from legends, history, and even some of Cicero to help you develop fluency in reading ancient Latin.
Hone your Latin skills by tackling classical works in their original form, including prose passages from Caesar’s stirring De Bello Gallico and the unsurpassed poetry of Vergil’s Aeneid.
Take advantage of a rare opportunity to read and analyze selections from Late and Medieval Latin sources in a course designed for students who want to explore Latin works beyond the classical period.
Join fellow enthusiasts in lively discussions of Tolkien's skill in world-building, use of language, and theology of subcreation to learn how his own life and work as philologist shaped Middle-earth.
Read, watch performances, and discuss ten of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays this summer, including All's Well that End's Well, Antony and Cleopatra, all three parts of Henry VI.
The Thought Plickens: Learning to Think Critically
Grades 6 and up
Become a literary detective! Discover clues to unravel character develoopment, historical background, narrative structure, and common themes in your favorite books.
Go beyond just reading the story. Learn how to appreciate the forms and techniques of literature -- narrative, plot, character development, and style, using familiar myths and legends.
Gain an appreciation for the variety of literary genres by reading plays, poetry, and short works from around the world and from ancient Greece to modern Japan with live discussion of each reading.
Our students' favorite literature course! This unique survey will introduce you to the literature of ancient and medieval times and to both familiar and alien stories that shaped classical education.
Encounter the classic works of English literature from the earliest survivals to the twentieth century, and see how themes, ideas, and techniques change and develop along with the language itself.
Examine the rich, varied, and occasionally quirky textures of American literature from colonial times to the late twentieth century in discussions that reveal the many strands of American culture.
The toughest literature course you'll ever take, and the one that will really prepare you for college. With thirty written assignments, you'll stretch your capacities and challenge your assumptions.
Develop a logical system of thought by studying Euclidean and modern geometry using a variety of tools, including the traditional compass and straight-edge, origami, and modern computer graphics.
Investigate algebraic concepts and processes, then tackle formulas and symbolic representations as you encounter linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, and rational and irrational functions.
Integrate rigorous real world mathematical scenarios with technology to study variables, complex wave patterns, and logistic functions using different tools, and prepare for the challenge of calculus.
Learn to speak, read, and write French fluently with your teacher in live classes, along with a multimedia learning environment, that will help you reach A1 level fluency in French in the first year.
Learn German in this innovative course that uses Blinklearning's audio-visual resources and live Zoom chat sessions to help students gain confidence reading, writing, and speaking German.
Improve your command of French by reading, writing, listening, and speaking French with your teacher in live Zoom sessions, and through the textbook multimedia learning environment for personal study.
Tackle the questions of good, evil, and responsible citizenship in live chats with a lawyer and a classicist, using Socrates’ response to his condemnation by the Athenians as a starting point.
Explore the discipline of philosophy through an examination of logical reasoning, argument forms, and the practical problems that arise in thinking rationally about ethics, law, politics, or theology.
Learn the fundamentals of HTML5 and share your hobby or passions with others by designing your own website in this hands-on course, covering fonts, links, lists, tables, page layout, forms, and CSS.
Introduction to Programming with Scratch (Summer Course)
Grades 7 and up
Learn the fundamentals concepts of programming, including conditional statements, loops, functions, and more, by designing your own animations and games in this hands-on course based on MIT's SCRATCH.
Discover the basic principles of modern science and their complex and often controversial history in this two-year introduction. Year I covers discoveries from ancient Babylon to Newton.
Discover the basic principles of modern science and their complex and sometimes controversial history in this two-year introduction. Year II covers modern science from 1700 to current research.
The Chemical History of the Candle (Summer Course)
Grades 8 and up
Investigate the nature of flame, the composition of wax, the generation of gases, and the methods of science in this lab course based on Michael Faraday's ground-breaking 1861 lectures for children.
Starting with the fundament concepts of living matter, explore the principles of microbiology, genetics, evolution and diversity, physiology, anatomy, and ecology in this introduction life on Earth.
Learn how to navigate by the stars, why planets stay in orbit around the sun, what causes a supernova, and how modern astronomers think forces formed in the first three seconds of the universe.
Study the methods of chemical analysis and the models of atomic structure and electron configurations used to explain chemical reactions, with live chat classes, video homework, and hands-on labs.
Using mathematical, dimensional, and graphical analysis, we'll explore the fundamental concepts of classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics. Includes hands-on labwork.
In this game-based asynchronous course, students proceed at their own pace as they master the fundamentals of writing and rise through the ranks of the cursus scriptorum from civis to consul.
Get the basics of grammar and syntax under control with this short summer course that covers sentence structure, punctuation, noun-verb agreement, and much more!
Develop your creative writing skills by writing the same story seven times in seven different ways, with teacher feedback and peer reviews to help you grow both as a writer and a lover of literature.
How to Become a Precocious Student (Summer Course)
Grades 6 and up
Become a precocious student with the skills you'll learn in this course. We'll discuss making friends with your textbook, taking notes, deciphering graphs, memorizing facts, and studying for exams.
Develop a disciplined approach to writing the research paper, and learn how to bring imagination and analysis to bear on the research, organization of material, and actual writing you'll need to do.
Add students to your account. (Adults are welcome!)
Select the courses you want for each student, explain each student's readiness and preparation for the course, and request enrollment from the instructor.
If you have questions about whether a course is right for you, you can contact any of our teachers by clicking on their names in course listings or on the Community Teachers Page, or consult with the advisors listed on our Support Page .
Enroll now to ensure your seat and attend Orientation!
Enrollment is now open for summer 2022 and academic year 2022-2023 courses.
Scholars Online is fully accredited through the Middle States Accreditation Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.