When we first started homeschooling, one of the most amazing resources I found was a K–12 curriculum guide from Hillsdale Academy, a private classical Christian school owned and operated by Hillsdale College. It provided book lists for each subject along with a detailed weekly plan to help you map out the year. It was designed for K–12 schools, but it was a helpful guide as we took our baby steps in homeschooling. And it was free, which was an added blessing. Little did I know at the time that Hillsdale would eventually become a leader in both public and private K–12 classical education.

Hillsdale Academy was founded in 1990 as a way for Hillsdale College to create a school for the local community aligned with the college’s beliefs. The founders also hoped the new school would serve as “a model for America.” While it only served 45 students in grades K–8 initially, the school has expanded through the years and enrollment is now at more than 200 students in grades K–12.

Seeing the success of the Academy, Hillsdale’s Barney Charter School Initiative was launched in 2010 to help revitalize public education through schools that focus on the liberal arts and sciences, civic virtue, and strong moral character. The first Hillsdale-affiliated charter school opened in 2012, and the initiative has helped start dozens of schools around the country since then. There are now more than 15,000 students in Hillsdale Member Schools with over 12,000 students on waitlists.

As word of Hillsdale’s charter school initiative spread, the college began receiving requests for help in the private school sector. Sometimes this involves helping to get new schools off the ground, and other times it means helping to transform existing schools into classical ones.

Whether charter or private, what Hillsdale provides is essentially the same depending on the level of support the school chooses. “Often with a private school, the business model is different and the compliance is different, but when it comes to the classroom experience, it’s the same,” says Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, Hillsdale’s Assistant Provost for K–12 Education. “The only curricular difference is that some of our private schools are religious.”

At the most basic level, a school can become a Curriculum School by licensing Hillsdale’s K–12 curriculum. This includes a scope and sequence, showing what to teach and in what order, as well as a list of recommended resources (including books, textbooks, and other supplies) for every grade level and subject. The college evaluates applications throughout the year, looking for schools that share the goal of giving students an education based on intellectual, moral, and civic virtues. There are 50 Curriculum Schools around the country.

After two years of using the Hillsdale K–12 curriculum, schools are eligible to apply for Member School status. “Member Schools are schools where we do all of the teacher training, board training, principal training. We visit the schools and they come to Hillsdale,” says Dr. O’Toole. “It’s a nationwide network of people who are all talking about and working toward the same thing.”

One of the most amazing things about Hillsdale’s K–12 support is that it’s all offered completely free of charge. According to Dr. O’Toole, “We don’t own or operate any of the schools we work with. We advise. They’re all independently founded and run with Hillsdale’s guidance. They don’t give us any money or anything in return for the services we offer, which are comprehensive. In return, we just ask them to be excellent.”

Not surprisingly, Hillsdale also receives frequent requests for homeschool resources. “We get a lot of parents asking for an adaptation of the curriculum that could be used in homeschooling or microschooling. We did a pilot last year, and we’re working on producing something that could be a little more modular or adaptable for those families who don’t want to or can’t send their children to one of the Member Schools,” says Dr. O’Toole. “We have a website, K–12 at Home, and it’s helpful for homeschooling parents, but also for parents who have put their kids in a classical school and want more background for their own sake.”

In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in classical education. Hillsdale College was ahead of its time and has really laid the groundwork to help launch schools to meet this increased demand. Hillsdale’s decades of experience and high-quality model that’s offered free of charge help reduce some of the challenges that come with starting a new school.