Contribute to Heart of Ohio Classical Academy
Your gift will support the formation of wise and virtuous American citizens, right here in Central Ohio.
Heart of Ohio Classical is one of over 25 tuition-free public charter schools (in Ohio we call them community schools) forming the network of Hillsdale College Member schools across the nation. These schools emphasize intellectual rigor, human virtue, character formation and responsible citizenship, all designed to bring us closer to the “more perfect union” envisioned by our forefathers.
Heart of Ohio Classical is one of over 25 tuition-free public charter schools (in Ohio we call them community schools) forming the network of Hillsdale College Member schools across the nation. These schools emphasize intellectual rigor, human virtue, character formation and responsible citizenship, all designed to bring us closer to the “more perfect union” envisioned by our forefathers.
As a community school HOCA is open to any child living in Ohio whose family applies until the maximum number of students per class is reached, at which point we will have a waiting list for those desiring to be a part of our classical school. For more information about the Hillsdale K-12 education initiative and our partnership as a member school, click here
As a community school HOCA is open to any child living in Ohio whose family applies until the maximum number of students per class is reached, at which point we will have a waiting list for those desiring to be a part of our classical school. For more information about the Hillsdale K-12 education initiative and our partnership as a member school, click here
The Hillsdale-inspired curriculum teaches more than just knowledge. Character formation was always at the heart of education in the formative years of the American experience. Somehow, in recent decades this virtue-based education has eroded to the point of being practically non-existent. The accompanying video explains why the formation of a whole human being—mind, body, soul and heart—is the goal of a classical education.
Our curriculum utilizes the Hillsdale College K-12 Curriculum. The curriculum for each grade will always be easily available online for viewing as we believe that parents have a right to know what their children are being taught in the classroom. When the parents understand the curriculum they feel secure knowing their children are receiving the education they desire for them and they are more capable of aiding their children at home.
Each classroom at Heart of Ohio is teacher-led. Students learn to read via an explicit phonics program and each class utilizes books printed on paper with the best children’s literature available for the grade level. For instance in the second grade students will read books like The Sign of the Beaver, Charlotte’s Web and Peter Pan, and American tall tales including Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill. The mathematics curriculum uses Singapore Math, considered the world’s top math curriculum, while the Core Knowledge sequence is used for science.
The students at Heart of Ohio Classical learn to read and write cursive. They learn to diagram sentences. Art, music, and physical education are core components of the curriculum for each year. Again, in the second grade as example, students learn geography by studying the Mediterranean and America while also being introduced in history class to ancient Greek democracy and our own Declaration of Independence. Students begin learning Greek and Latin roots in fourth grade and ultimately complete four years of Latin study, starting in sixth grade. Following that, a student may choose to continue Latin or take a modern language beginning in their sophomore year.
A highlight of a Hillsdale-affiliated school is the focus on cultural literacy, and HOCA is no exception. Cultural literacy is an understanding of the history and literature of Western civilization to which we as Americans belong. Our traditions need to be passed on to the next generation in order to support a cohesive society. In the lower school students get an overview of history and geography while in the upper school there is more rigorous instruction in ancient, European, and American history along with moral and political philosophy and U.S. Government. In the sixth grade the students read the foundational documents of our country in their original form, giving them a firm foundation to understand the unique system of governance they have inherited. By graduation students will have read and discussed Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, The Federalist Papers, US Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America” among other great works.
For a comprehensive overview of the curriculum please see the Hillsdale K-12 Curriculum page. There is an overview of the scope and sequence of the education followed by the curriculum a year at a glance.
“The K-12 Program Guide is unique in offering a comprehensive plan of instruction from Kindergarten through Grade 12. Guided by the liberal arts, the K-12 curriculum follows stages of learning appropriate to students’ development and a spiraling structure that allows for recurrent examination of subjects throughout a student’s career.”
– Hillsdale College