The study of Latin in primary school is a time honored tradition with a long track record of success. At STCS, students are introduced to Latin in the first grade. Latin grammar begins in second grade. In fifth grade students begin reading works in Latin.
Latin is fundamental to our own language. We believe that Latin students are better able to understand the English language because they have learned English in a curriculum that contextualizes the language. As the mother tongue of so much of Europe, Latin is also a great introduction to all the Romance languages. If one has had a rigorous Latin education, one already knows around 80% of each of the romance languages. But the real reason to study Latin is not to know another language—one studies Latin to learn Latin. Through years of consistent Latin training, our children are being oriented in a powerful way to the classics of Western Literature.