Classical Catholic Education Has Never Been Closer or Cheaper in 2026

It is 2026, and something important is happening quietly in the background. While the cost of education keeps climbing into the tens of thousands, more people are realising that real learning does not have to come from a distant university hall. It can happen right where you are. It can be faithful, solid, and surprisingly affordable.

For William C. Michael, O.P., a Lay Dominican and classicist, the question was never whether the classical liberal arts were worth keeping. The real question was how to bring them back to life for modern Catholics. In 2008, with his wife Dania, also a Lay Dominican, he founded the Classical Liberal Arts Academy to make that possible. Their mission is to research, restore, and teach the complete classical liberal arts in their original Catholic form, the same way they were studied by the saints.

The curriculum covers the foundations of Western learning:

• The Trivium: grammar, logic, and rhetoric, which train the mind to think clearly and communicate well.

  
  

• The Quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy, which build a sense of order and harmony.

  
  

• Philosophy and theology, which guide students toward truth, wisdom, and ultimately toward God.

All of this is available through the CLAA online Study Center, where men can move at their own pace. Whether someone wants to improve one skill or take on the full program, the courses are always available. Assignments are graded, and the whole system is designed to strengthen both the mind and the soul for the demands of Catholic life.

This is not a light or watered down program. It is the real thing, with Latin from original sources, readings from the Summa Theologica, natural philosophy, sacred Scripture, and the writings of the Fathers.

The Michaels have made it easy to begin. You can download the free book Understanding Classical Catholic Education or explore sample lessons through a student account. Whether you hope to grow as a leader in your home, parish, or community, CLAA places world class Catholic education within reach.

Today many people pay a lot for credentials but remain unformed in mind and spirit. The Classical Liberal Arts Academy offers a different path. It offers a chance to be truly educated in the fullest Catholic sense.

In 2026, the door is open. All you have to do is walk in.