When Kaley and Craig Carpenter began searching for a school for their daughter, they knew they wanted something different than the typical model of divided subjects, standardized tests, and screens  — a place where learning was treated as meaningful for living, and not just for academically succeeding.

They wanted something small-scale and relational, yet deeply rooted in the highest achievements of human knowledge. Their search led them to Main Line Classical Academy  (MLCA), where their eighth-grade daughter has been a student since Kindergarten.

“What we were really looking for was a place where learning — and not just grades — would be primary,” Craig says. “We wanted a place where children could learn to flourish and see excellence as something normal, not exceptional.”

What the Carpenters Were Looking For

From the start, the Carpenters prioritized strong teacher-student relationships and close-knit classes that encouraged interpersonal, and even interdisciplinary, learning.

“We were looking for a solid, low student-to-teacher ratio so there was good interaction,” Craig explains. “We also wanted a fairly low-tech footprint that would safeguard and support learning rather than mediate it through technology, which can sometimes distract.”

They were also drawn to MLCA’s non-conventional — yet deeply traditional — approach to education. “When students are learning foreign languages, world history, and classic Greco-Roman literature together as early as Kindergarten,” Kaley says, “and they see that what they’re taught in one subject directly relates to what they’ve discovered in another, they can’t help but get excited in the classroom.”

Discovering Main Line Classical Academy — and the ‘Aha’ Moment

The Carpenters first heard about MLCA through community connections and were intrigued by its philosophy and curriculum, which gets students interested in courses like mathematics and music by treating them as if were another fun puzzle or new language to learn Their confidence in the school deepened as they learned more — particularly during a parent-hosted conversation focused on STEM education.

“The moment I realized Main Line Classical Academy was for us was during a wine and cheese meet-and-greet where the topic was MLCA math and science,” Kaley recalls.

During that conversation, a faculty member challenged the idea that students must be either “math people” or “English people,” by saying, “All humans have the capacity to love and excel in both subjects with the right approach to teaching.” Kaley, who still remembers being put into one camp versus the other as a child, immediately took notice. 

“For me, I was hooked at that point.” she said. “I wanted that opportunity for intellectual openness for my own daughter.”

A Balanced Humanities and STEM Education

One of the defining features of MLCA for the Carpenters is that ability to integrate classical humanities with a strong STEM curriculum.

“What really stood out was the approach to math,” Craig says. “It’s puzzle-based and problem-solving-based. Students can get to the same finish line by different routes.”

That approach made a significant difference for their daughter.

“As with me, math didn’t come as quickly to her as languages at first,” Kaley explains. “But the way math is taught at MLCA engaged her imagination and personal drive. Starting in third or fourth grade, she would just want to do math on her own time after school and during the summers.”

Craig adds, “Now she’s one of the leading math students in her class.”

Learning Great Things From the Start

MLCA’s philosophy that “children are never too young to learn great things” resonated deeply with the Carpenters, who saw it in action early on in the school’s liberal arts curriculum. In addition to the foreign languages (French begins in Kindergarten; Latin in 4th grade), music (piano and violin), English, history, math, and science classes mentioned above, students also took art history and hands-on skills, interspersed with at least two or three recesses. The results became clear both after school and on the weekends. 

“Our daughter during Kindergarten playdates would play songs on the piano with her new friends, re-enact epic scenes from Homer’s Odyssey with their dolls, and sing French songs together at the top of their lungs,” Kaley says. Craig adds that this early exposure was not about pressure, but about trusting children’s natural curiosity.

“There’s an assumption that you have to wait until a certain age to do certain things,” he says. “That undersells children’s capacity to learn and their curiosity.”

Students at MLCA regularly memorize poetry, recite it aloud in front of others, and engage with classic texts — practices the Carpenters say build confidence, focus, and collaboration.

“They learn whole poems, not just a few lines,” Craig explains. “They learn how to pronounce them, recite them, and cheer for other people when they do well instead of competing.”

The Impact of Small Class Sizes

Class size has been another major factor in their experience. Their daughter’s cohort has ranged from six to twelve students over the years.

“I attribute a lot of what we’ve seen socially to the humane scale of MLCA classes,” Kaley says. “In seventh grade, my daughter asked if she could have a movie night with just her classmates. They genuinely wanted to spend time together.” 

The sense of connection extends across grade levels as well.

“The students up and down the grades love playing with each other,” Kaley adds. “The older kids make it a point to engage with and help the younger kids.”

A Thoughtful, Screen-Free Environment

MLCA’s screen-free classrooms and phone-free policy were also a major draw for the family.

“Our daughter is in eighth grade and does not have a cell phone,” Craig says. “She is not pressured to get one. She’s not on social media, and there isn’t that outside distraction — or inside distraction — during the school day.” 

While the school uses technology intentionally when appropriate, Craig appreciates that it is never the default.

“She reads whole novels, not excerpts,” he explains. “She has physical textbooks. We see a difference in how she’s able to focus because she hasn’t been trained to rely on a device.”

Kaley agrees, “She can sit with a problem and work it through until it’s done. She doesn’t give up.”

MLCA’s Head of School, Dr. Asya Sigelman recently presented “Beyond Screens: Building Brilliant Minds Without the Distraction” with local Wait Until 8th leader, Yair Lev, which you can watch below.

Advice for Families Considering MLCA

For families considering Main Line Classical Academy, the Carpenters encourage parents — especially those with younger children — to experience it first-hand.

“My advice would be to give MLCA a try, especially at the early ages like Kindergarten,” Craig says. “You’ll be amazed at how wonderful and exciting the learning is.”

Kaley echoed this point. “If parents want their children to love learning great things for life, to trust and care for other kids across different grades and cultures, then MLCA is a place where that really happens.”

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Photos courtesy of Main Line Classical Academy, as seen in the Spring Education Guide. 

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