Frequently Asked Questions
Hearth to Horizon is a Christian micro-school launching for the 2025-2026 school year. Students will meet in person two days per week. On the off days, students will complete teacher-assigned schoolwork at home under parental guidance. Homeschool work is turned in and graded by the teacher or teaching assistant on the next in-person class day. Horizon's curriculum is aimed at students from approximately 2nd grade through the end of middle school, though we work with our families to build a plan for all of your students (see FAQ, "What About My Older/Younger Children?")
Hearth to Horizon exists to provide a Christ-centered, community-focused educational environment that combines the freedom and intimacy of homeschooling with the fellowship and structure of a vibrant classroom. In building this school, I’ve built what I want for my own children. I want a fun, engaging education full of hands-on activity and laughter, while still maintaining rigor and a high quality of learning. I want my children to be able to study outdoors on glorious October days, but also to have consistent schedules and expectations. I want the freedom, coziness, and intimacy of homeschooling, but also to give my children a community, social opportunities, and lifelong friendships. I want them to be intellectually outstanding, emotionally wise, lifelong learners, reliable workers, loyal friends, and passionate, informed followers of Jesus Christ. Hearth to Horizon is my answer to those desires.
For me, as a parent, the one-room micro-school offers some real advantages. Whole families get to come together to build a community. Instead of my child talking about a friend in class who I’ve never met, their good friends are the same kids that I see on a regular basis, and whose parents are some of my own good friends. My kids also learn to engage with other kids across the age barrier. They learn to comfort a sad younger child or to look up to a caring older child. They get to stay tight and cozy with their community, but also are able to give presentations to a real audience or sing in a choir of more than just their family. At Hearth to Horizon, my dream is to cultivate an engaging and rigorous learning experience that balances academic excellence with hands-on exploration and meaningful relationships; by embracing the one-room schoolhouse model, I can foster a multi-age learning community where students collaborate, mentor each other, and grow together.
There’s also a lot of research on the benefits of the model. (Ok, get ready for the information dump! Or skip this bit. Your choice. I promise not to test you.) First, smaller class sizes have been shown over and over again to be massively beneficial for students. Class size at Horizon will max out at 14, with one teacher and one assistant, a 7:1 student-teacher ratio. Check out Class Size Matters for an abundance of scholarly articles on the topic. For example, one researcher estimated that in some schools, “reducing class size to 18 students per class in these schools would narrow the achievement gap by 40%, and reducing class size to 15 students per class would eliminate it” (See the article here.). This works because with smaller class sizes, the teacher is better able to adjust lessons as needed to focus on each child as an individual with individual needs and learning styles.
Additionally, Hearth to Horizon functions as a one-room schoolhouse or multi-age classroom, where students of various ages learn together in the same environment. Multi-age classrooms make it more possible for the teacher to meet each student where they are, rather than requiring work that is too advanced or too easy for the student. The teacher is already assigning work at all stages, so it’s simple to move students between difficulty levels at the spur of the moment. They also allow great opportunity for peer to peer instruction, which a significant body of research backs as being spectacular for student growth. Other studies also indicate that children in multi-age classrooms develop better socially, becoming more nurturing and caring of other students in their classrooms. Check this link for a great summary of research on the topic.
Philosophy
Hearth to Horizon combines elements of Classical and Charlotte Mason educational philosophies. Classical education focuses on rigorous academics, critical thinking, and the study of great works of literature and history, while Charlotte Mason’s style emphasizes nature studies, narration, and living books to create a rich and engaging learning experience.
Subjects
Specific subjects include Bible, Vocabulary, Music, Art, Science, English Grammar, Writing, Literature, World History, U.S. History, and Life Skills (such as budgeting, study skills, or personal safety).
Curriculum
Horizon uses a wide variety of curricula, including but not limited to Math Mammoth, Grapevine Studios, Novare, Khan Academy, Zaner Bloser, Classical Academic Press, classic literature texts, Memoria Press, and many teacher-created curricula in areas such as history or life skills. See our Curriculum page for a detailed overview of the plans for the 2025-2026 school year.
Denomination
Horizon is a non-denominational Christian school. Bible teaching will emphasize the Biblical narrative, the good news of Christ's coming to save sinners, as well as direct memorization of Scripture using the ESV Bible. Doctrinal questions will be redirected to parents, though I’m happy to set up a time to discuss such questions with parents present, at parent request.
2025–2026 School Year
The 2025–2026 school year is our launch year—a “beta” year as we begin this exciting journey together. Because of this, we are offering the program at cost, with no profit margin built in. Families will contribute to shared expenses such as curriculum, classroom materials, and basic facility needs (like soap, paper towels, and cleaning supplies). The total estimated cost is approximately $500 per student for the full year.
A $300 registration fee per student is due by August 1st.
If needed, an additional payment of up to $300 per student may be requested by January 1st, depending on how much is spent on class activities and resources.
No family will pay more than $600 per student for the year.
Looking Ahead: Future Years
Education is a meaningful investment—but we also know it can be a financial challenge, especially for families with multiple children. Many university-model schools in our area begin at around $5,000 per student, with some doubling that. And with average teacher salaries in the U.S. currently around $70,000, it’s easy to see how costs can quickly add up—especially in a small, intimate setting like ours with a class size capped at 14.
For Hearth to Horizon, tuition for future years is still being finalized, but I am deeply committed to accessibility. I’m prayerfully considering a “pay-what-you-can” model, because I never want cost to be the reason a child misses out on this opportunity.
Here’s what we’re tentatively planning:
Suggested tuition for students attending with a parent on-site: around $3,000 per student per year (not including curriculum and materials).
Suggested tuition for students dropped off both days: approximately $5,000 per student per year.
Materials and curriculum fees will likely remain under $500 per student, similar to our beta year.
Final tuition recommendations will be shared at the end of our launch year, once we have real-world data and feedback from our founding families. But rest assured—our heart is to work with you, not against your budget.
Classes meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Tuesdays and Thursdays are at-home learning days, when students will complete teacher-assigned work under parental supervision. That leaves Fridays (or Thursdays, if you swap with Friday) open for co-ops, clubs, sports, music lessons, or other extracurricular activities. Classes currently meet at my home in Catharpin, VA. If the school garners sufficient interest, a larger or alternative location may be considered in the future, while keeping class sizes at or under 14 and maintaining varied ages in each class.
Parents are expected to work with their children to ensure that homeschool assignments are completed and then come back to school for grading on the next in-person day. For younger students, this may require significant time and involvement from the parents.
Additionally, approximately once per quarter, Tuesday’s at-home work will be replaced with a field trip- parents will need to be available to drive students, or plan a carpool.
Our preference is that one parent from each family will function as a class assistant one day a week, helping with tasks such as passing out papers, grading assignments using provided answer keys, and assisting with hands-on activities. Parents being on-site helps us to build our community and keep a low child to adult ratio. However, we do understand that this doesn't work for all families, and will consider families on a case-by-case basis if a parent is not available to participate. Our tuition prices assume that a parent is staying one-day per week, and may increase for students who are dropped off on both days.
Parent-assistants are assigned to either Monday or Wednesday for the duration of the school year. Requests for specific days will be honored as much as possible but cannot be guaranteed. On the day they do not assist, parents may drop off their students, but are also welcome to stay at the school if they prefer to do so.
Parent-assistants are assigned to either Monday or Wednesday for the duration of the school year. Requests for specific days will be honored as much as possible but cannot be guaranteed. On the day they do not assist, parents may drop off their students, but are also welcome to stay at the school if they prefer to do so.
Many classrooms across America are already teaching multiple grade levels, though admittedly to a smaller extent than Horizon. This is because many classrooms have students that are assigned to a grade level, but performing above or below that grade level. If a classroom has one student who is two grades behind in math and another who is two grades ahead in reading, that standard public school classroom is already teaching across 5 grade levels. Knowing how to teach with this variation is part of a good teacher education. Teacher training includes techniques such as having differing levels of assignments, differing styles of teaching, or bonus activities for students who finish early, among other techniques. (This study found that 44% of US public school students start the year below grade level in at least one subject. This study found that in specific content areas, as many as 49% of students start the year ahead of grade level.)
In the case of Horizon, teaching for the academic differences between students is accomplished in several ways: in-class with the teacher, with peer to peer instruction, with subject crossovers, and with differences in the work being sent home. In-class differentiation might look like different worksheets being assigned during class, or the class breaking into a few age groups for a discussion time. Peer to peer instruction might look like a 4th grader helping a 1st grader with a math question, helping both students learn the material. Work being sent home will look more like traditional assignments, with varying levels of expectations and difficulties. Subject crossovers involve learning more than one subject at once, such as using a history or science book to teach phonics or grammar. (Crossovers may sound unusual, but research indicates they can be extremely effective. For example, this study found that “when students received an additional 30 minutes of social studies instruction per day, they outperformed their peers on 5th grade reading assessments by 15 percent of a standard deviation.”)
Horizon is not large enough to offer distinct special needs programs. I also personally don’t have the specific qualifications for those types of lessons. Students are welcome to join the standard classroom, at parental and teacher discretion, but should not expect differences in their classes beyond those differences offered for all individuals in the classroom (for example, I can certainly give them extra time to take a test or step them up or down in lesson difficulty, but I’m unable to build IEP plans or give them disproportionate one-on-one time). If a student’s special needs are such that they are not able to participate as a member of the classroom, Horizon will be unable to meet all of their needs, and the student would best be served in a school that has programs in place for their benefit.
Some extracurriculars are included in the standard classroom, such as art, music, and various life skills. Beyond that, clubs and extracurriculars will need to be organized for and provided by parents. This is one reason that Horizon leaves the 5th day of the week open. It’s expected that the 5th day is still a school day for the students, but one that’s more open and free for the families to do with as they see fit, such as a chess club, individual music lessons, sports, etc. I do highly recommend that all students be involved in some type of group sports and some type of music lesson.
Legally, no. Hearth to Horizon is a homeschool helper, just like your piano teacher or online math tutor. Parents/guardians are responsible to submit notices of intent and progress reports to your county, though I intend to build those things for students' guardians, who would simply need to submit them.
Practically, Hearth to Horizon will cover all of your student’s needs for the school year aside from chosen extracurriculars in which the family participates on the off-day. The curriculum is as thorough as a private school.
It is not. Hearth to Horizon is not legally a school, but a homeschool help, and as such cannot be accredited.
Few school days end having been exactly like the teacher planned! That being said, this is an approximation of what a normal day at Horizon might look like. Student drop-off is open from 8:50-9:00 am. We meet for the day outside, weather permitting, and hang out, chatting and doing some initial bellwork until 9:00 am, when classes promptly begin- still outside, with students gathered on picnic tables, outdoor seating (and a couple of nice rocks). We begin with prayer, a Bible lesson, and the week’s memory verse. As the year progresses, students take turns leading in prayer and in the memory verse lesson.
Then, we jump into Math while our brains are still fresh and excited. Math starts with some all-age memory work drills (such as multiplication tables or memorizing mathematical formulas. Little ones are great at memorizing, even when big words are involved!). After memory work, math will include peer to peer instruction (e.g., the 6th grader working with the 4th grader, which is terrific for both of them), whole-class instruction, one-on-one teacher instruction, and math games.
After Math, we move to Art, which will be either Music or Sketching, depending on the day. Depending on what we’re doing, we may move inside at this point, but drawing and singing outdoors can be so rewarding! Music will be largely music theory and choral work. Sketching will focus on the human body, the human face, the few basic shapes that combine to form almost all art, and nature. After Art, we’ll have a wiggle break where kids can run around, chat, and turn their brains off for a moment.
Then, we’ll have about 15 minutes for Vocabulary instruction, with an emphasis on the Latin and Greek origins of English words, which allows students to quickly pick up on new words with the same bases (whether in English or in other languages). After Vocabulary we move into Science, with a blend of reading, watching videos, hands-on experiments, and discussing and writing about what we observed. Then we get lunch break! If we’re not already outside, we’ll move outside again for this, weather permitting, and give the kids a full 30 minutes to eat, play, and explore the outdoors.
After lunch, we jump back in with English Grammar, learning the parts of speech and how to put them together to communicate well, both in writing and in speaking; those also include the parallels of learning to read and listen well!
After Grammar, we’ll learn the history of the world God gave us, in our World History class. Our first year will focus on the ancient time-period, so we’ll get to explore ancient civilizations across the globe, with living books, history texts, and immersive activities. Following years will continue through the ages, covering all of the world’s history in a 4-year cycle.
Then, we’ll take another quick brain break for about 15 minutes. (Look out for cartwheeling children.) After our break, we move into either Logic or one of our Life Skills units, depending on the day. Logic will break into two groups- younger kids working through some puzzle games with our classroom helper, and older kids working through a formal logic program. Life Skills will move through six 6-week units with topics like gardening, self-care, cooking and menu planning, crochet, budgeting, and social etiquette. These are likely to change year by year.
Our next block is a focus on Writing and Spelling, as distinct skills from Grammar. Students will learn how to build paragraphs, essays, and stories that are entertaining and compelling. This will include studying some pre-existing great writing, learning the “nuts and bolts” of what makes writing interesting, and actual hands-on work.
Our final block for the day will be either Literature or US History, depending on the day. Literature will be a focus on reading and studying delightful, lasting works, and discussing them in groups. US History will be a story-focused overview of the History of the US. The US will also be studied during World History in later years, but won’t get much “screen-time” during the ancient years, so we’ll learn about famous people and events of the US separately during this block. US History will move in a 4-year cycle similar to World History, but instead will cover all of US History at "birds-eye" view for year one, and then slow down on approximately one third of US History for the other 3 years in the cycle.
Our last few minutes together will be spent cleaning up our space, and then we all go back outside again for pick-up. Pickup is open from 3:30-3:40, and your children will be outside waiting for you, unless it's too cold or wet.