Hillsdale Partnership

Cincinnati Classical Academy joins dozens of K-12 tuition-free public schools across the nation as a part of Hillsdale College’s ambitious program to establish and sustain classical schools throughout the U.S.

Cincinnati Classical Academy is a Hillsdale College Member School and receives support from Hillsdale in the initial stages of school startup and ongoing support for CLASSICAL’s administration and faculty. CLASSICAL also uses the Hillsdale College K-12 Curriculum.

Hillsdale College's Barney Charter School Initiative

Hillsdale K-12 Education provides curriculum and conducts ongoing professional development at all of its schools, beginning with two weeks of intensive training before the opening of every new school. Then, each summer thereafter, each school sends its teachers to Hillsdale College for further professional development, collaboration, and instructional design. This support, along with guidance on the shaping of a vibrant and ennobling school culture, provides the foundation for these new schools to promote a liberal and civic education in America’s public schools. This initiative is made possible by a major grant from the Barney Family Foundation and gifts from other friends of Hillsdale College.

Why is this relationship with Hillsdale a good thing for a classical school like ours?

In the first place, Hillsdale’s content experts provide real training both in lessons and classroom management, of a kind and focus that one cannot find in typical education schools. Second, Hillsdale College is a sturdy defender of the liberal arts, with a long tradition of supporting people from many backgrounds in learning them. Hillsdale was the first American college to prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, or sex in its charter, and was the second college in the nation to grant four-year liberal arts degrees to women.