Why classical education is gaining ground in St. Louis

The concept of classical education goes back to ancient Greece and Rome, but some local schools still find value in the approach today. Classical education, based on the framework of the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric), focuses on deep thinking, analytical skills, and developing the whole student.

“The trivium is a framework based on how the human brain develops,” says Katy McKinney, founder and head of school of Lafayette Academy. “It consists of three stages: grammar, logic, and rhetoric—the three roads by which people learn best.”

McKinney explains that Lafayette Academy’s elementary, middle, and high school programs each have different focus areas based on the ideals of the classical education system. “The grammar stage, from birth to about age 12, is when children naturally absorb information. This is when we focus on facts, language, math, science, and how the world works,” she says. “In middle school, students begin questioning and arguing, which is actually a good thing. At that stage, we teach them how to reason logically and engage in structured discussion. In high school, students learn rhetoric—how to persuasively and thoughtfully defend ideas. By senior year, they write and defend a 20-page thesis on a topic they’re passionate about.”

Because students grow more independent over time, she adds, it’s essential for them to begin with a solid foundation. “A classical education teaches self-governance. It teaches students how to think, how to learn, and how to reason well,” McKinney says. “The more you know, the better decisions you make in every aspect of life. A robust education affects everything.”

McKinney notes that the school also prioritizes overall wellness. In addition to P.E., students run every morning as part of a fitness program. “We do fitness four times a week first thing in the morning,” she says. “Science shows that when students get their blood pumping early, they are much more focused in class. In classical education, we focus on both the mind and the body. When the body is healthy and in balance, the mind has the ability to think more clearly. We’ve seen students improve academically because they’re able to focus better and engage more deeply. We’ve seen negative behaviors decrease and improvements in overall health, self-esteem, and confidence across the board.”

At John Burroughs School, artist and educator Emily Elhoffer’s ceramics program helps middle schoolers develop their problem-solving, fine-motor, and creative skills. “I think students are really excited to work with their hands,” Elhoffer says. “They spend so much of the day doing cognitive work—math, reading, learning languages—that having an opportunity to engage with the material world activates different parts of their brain. It’s an opportunity for students to be fully present with themselves and with a material, and that absolutely supports cognition throughout the day.”

In an increasingly digital world, the art program is an escape that can help build focus. “When students work with physical materials, they have to sit with discomfort and uncertainty instead of immediately searching for answers online,” Elhoffer says. “It requires turning off the purely rational part of the brain and turning on the part that responds to the environment. You have to be present.”

A hands-on class like ceramics can also help develop skills that apply to careers beyond the art world. “During Grandparents Day, I had a student whose grandfather was a retired plastic surgeon sit in on class. I was helping hollow out a piece using tools that required surgical precision, and we talked about how these skills support dexterity,” Elhoffer reflects. “He spoke about how hand-eye coordination developed through this kind of work can translate into fields like dentistry or surgery. That connection really stood out to me.”

Elhoffer points out that there are immense benefits to giving middle school students the opportunity to grow in a way that develops practical life skills: “It’s powerful to watch students experience success, face challenges, struggle, and then try again.”

Likewise, Dan Dilber, head of school at The St. Austin School, says he’s watched students “grow not just in knowledge, but in perseverance, humility, and wonder.” Dilber says such results have spurred more parents to consider classical education programs for their students. “Families are realizing that classical education produces students who can listen, reason, speak persuasively, and engage the world with confidence,” Dilber says. “What we’re offering is not just academic achievement—it’s the formation of the whole person.”

It’s capturing the attention of students, too. Dilber says that while students work hard intellectually, as the ideology “replaces passive consumption with active thinking,” they also learn to enjoy the process of putting forth their best efforts. 

“This kind of education is anything but dry,” Dilber says. “Students develop intellectual grit by translating Latin verbs, writing structured essays, and discussing complex texts. In the process, they begin to take delight in the discipline itself. Their minds are stretched by encountering great thinkers and tested by rigorous math and science, but their hearts are engaged, too. The habit of doing difficult things well becomes a source of confidence and character.”

Dilber says the holistic nature of classical education makes a noticeable difference. “Our model is not built around trends or testing benchmarks but around a coherent vision of what it means to educate a human person,” he says. “They grow not just in knowledge but in perseverance, humility, and wonder—virtues that shape who they are becoming far beyond the classroom.”

These educators stress the importance of slowing down, thinking deeply, and not always taking the easy way out. “Classical education trains students to work hard at things that do not have shortcuts, but it also shows them that this kind of effort can be deeply joyful,” Dilber says. “These students tend to become articulate and thoughtful people. They know how to speak clearly, listen carefully, write persuasively, and analyze with charity. Those are not just academic outcomes—they reflect a deep formation of character and thought.”