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Classical • Christian • Cottage • K–12 • Franklin, TN

A small school with a great soul, rooted in Christ.

Labarum Cottage School is a university-model hybrid: two days in chapel & seminar, three days at home with parents. Trivium, great books, Latin, music, and meadow work — forming wise, virtuous, joyful children under the sign of the Labarum.

Apply for 2026–27 Discover our story ↓
128Students K-12
12:1Seminar ratio
27Years of grace
100%College & trade
Labarum Cottage School chapel and meadow
☩ In Hoc Signo Vinces
“In this sign, conquer” — our motto from Constantine’s Labarum. Every week begins at the cross.
◉ Now enrolling
Grammar (K-5) • Logic (6-8) • Rhetoric (9-12). Tours every Friday 9am.
Reserve →
Ora et Labora ✦ Grammar — Logic — Rhetoric ✦ Chapel on Monday ✦ Feast on Wednesday ✦ Latin • Greek • Music • Handcraft ✦ Ora et Labora ✦ Grammar — Logic — Rhetoric ✦ Chapel on Monday ✦ Feast on Wednesday ✦ 
01 — About the Cottage

Not a bigger school. A holier smallness.

Our trivium

Founded in 1998 around a farmhouse table with seven children, Labarum Cottage School keeps education domestic, liturgical, and dialogical. We believe parents are the first teachers; we are their joyful assistants.

The name Labarum comes from the Roman military standard bearing the Chi-Rho ☧ — the first Christian banner. Our cottage standard is the same: Christ before curriculum. Students gather Mondays and Wednesdays for chapel, recitation, Socratic seminars, labs and choir; Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays they learn at home with detailed cottage plans, then return to narrate, dispute, and celebrate.

  • 1998 — The Table: Three families, one farmhouse, Latin grace before lunch.
  • 2007 — The Chapel: Built by fathers, a timber chapel for morning offices.
  • 2015 — The Meadow: 11 acres for gardens, sheep, astronomy nights.
  • 2024 — The Rhetoric Hall: Senior thesis defenses open to the town.
University-Model® HybridACCS MemberCharlotte Mason + Classical
Classical cottage classroom

Mission

To cultivate wisdom and eloquence in children, nourishing soul, mind and body for the glory of God and the good of neighbor.

Rule of Life

Prayer at 8:30, work with hands, feast together, confess quickly, forgive readily, read slowly, sing loudly.

02 — The Trivium Path

Grammar to Rhetoric, step by step.

Three schools under one roof, one progression of soul. Each stage has its own uniform tartan, memory work, and master teacher.

🌱

Grammar • K–5

Chant, song, and wonder. Phonics & catechism, nature lore, Scripture memory (600 verses), Latin roots, cursive, mental math, farm chores.

Signature: Medieval Feast, Bird Census, Pilgrim Play.

🔍

Logic • 6–8

Question everything well. Formal logic, debate, Euclid, experimental science, Greek, essay & outline, map-drawing, beekeeping.

Signature: Mock Trial, Star Party, Logic Olympics.

🏛️

Rhetoric • 9–12

Speak truth beautifully. Great Books (Homer to Lewis), rhetoric & thesis, calculus & physics, choir & strings, apprenticeships, senior pilgrimage to Rome.

Signature: Thesis Defense, Oxford Disputation.

03 — Cottage Life

A week that feels like a psalm.

Morning chapel
Monday • Chapel Day

Liturgy, recitation, seminar

8:30 Matins in the timber chapel. Then memory recitation, Latin chant, math drill, and afternoon Socratic seminars around oak tables. Ends with Compline and football.

Meadow learning
Wednesday • Feast & Field

Science, art, table fellowship

Morning labs in the meadow, watercolor & handcraft, choir, then whole-school soup lunch cooked by Logic students. Afternoon house competitions.

Great books seminar
At Home • Tue Thu Fri

Cottage plans with parents

No guessing. Every family receives a day-by-day binder, video walkthroughs, and a tutor on call. Average home day: 3.5 hrs (Grammar), 5 hrs (Rhetoric).

Arts and handcrafts
Arts • Music • Craft

Hands make the mind

All students learn an instrument, carve, sew, garden, and cook. Annual Art & Handcraft Sale funds senior pilgrimage. Choir

04 — Admissions 2026–27

Come and see.

We enroll 18 per Grammar cohort, 16 per Logic/Rhetoric. Priority to siblings and chapel families. Tuition is kept low by parent service: $4,900–$7,800/yr with generous aid.

  1. Friday tour + student shadow
  2. Family interview & faith story
  3. Placement & readiness visit
  4. Feast invitation & enrollment
Book tourTuition FAQ

Key dates

Oct 12: Open Meadow Morning
Jan 15: Priority applications close
Feb 7: Placement Saturday
Mar 1: Awards & aid letters
Apr 18: New Family Feast

Visit us: 12 Meadow Chapel Lane, Franklin TN
Fri 9am tours • office@chapel internal • (555) 014-2288

05 — Masters & Mentors

Teachers who pray with you.

👩‍🏫
Margaret Hale
Headmistress • Grammar • 22 yrs

“We memorize what we love.”

🧔‍♂️
Fr. Thomas Reed
Chaplain • Theology

Daily offices, confession, feast days.

👨‍🔬
Dr. Elias Vance
Logic & Science • Euclid to Biology

Beekeeper, astronomer.

👩‍🎻
Clara Okonkwo
Rhetoric • Great Books & Choir

Oxford MPhil, mother of five.

06 — Cottage Journal

News & essays from the meadow.

Headmistress letters, feast recaps, alumni stories. Click to read full essay.

Journal blossoming soon

Our scribes are illuminating manuscripts. Check back after the Michaelmas feast.

07 — Questions

Asked often, answered gladly.

Is this homeschool or private school?

Both. Legally a church-related private school in Tennessee; pedagogically a hybrid. You homeschool three days with our plans, we teach two days on campus. Attendance, transcripts and diploma through us.

What faith statement is required?

At least one parent professes Nicene Christianity and attends a church. Students attend chapel, memorize catechism and Scripture. We welcome Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant families.

How much time at home?

Grammar 2.5–3.5 hrs/day, Logic 4 hrs, Rhetoric 5–6 hrs. Plans are scripted; tutor replies within a day. No parent needs Latin beforehand — we teach you alongside.

Do graduates go to college?

Yes — 82% to colleges (Belmont, Hillsdale, Sewanee, UTK), others to trades, military, missions. Average ACT 28. Every senior defends a 20-page thesis.

Cost and aid?

$4,900 (K-2) to $7,800 (9-12). Multi-child cap $19k. 40% receive aid via Barnabas Fund; service hours reduce tuition.

08 — Visit

Friday at nine, coffee on us.

Walk the meadow, hear recitation, stay for soup. Children welcome — sheep to pet.

Visit meadow

12 Meadow Chapel Lane, Franklin, TN 37064 • (555) 014-2288 • Office hours Mon–Wed 8am–3pm