Parnassus Preparatory School provides an excellent education through an academically rigorous curriculum. Our school day is structured around teacher-led direct instruction in the School of Grammar, lectures and the Socratic method of questioning and answering in the School of Logic, and through Harkness Table discussions in the School of Rhetoric.

At Parnassus, we believe in knowledge-centered education where the teacher is the leader of classroom instruction. You will not find cooperative learning centers or student pods in our classrooms or observe project-based, child-directed instruction taking place.

In the Schools of Grammar and Logic, desks face the front of the room. Our students stand when they answer or address teachers as a sign of respect as well as means toward training our young scholars to be comfortable in standing and speaking in front of others. In the School of Rhetoric, the Harkness Table method is the center of our instruction technique for most courses.

Classroom bookcases are filled with classics and other well-written literature and our classroom space is used to educate, not decorate. The following list provides an overview of what you will and will not see in a Parnassus classroom.

Classroom Appearance

Classroom Discipline and Expectations