Questions to Ask When Touring a Charlotte Mason School

Take notes on what you see: lesson length, whether children narrate, and how the room feels between transitions. A calm hallway does not prove short lessons are protected once the day starts.

Start here. If the answers are vague, the rest of the tour matters less. Ask to see books and hear how narration is taught, not only that it is valued.

• Which curriculum do you follow, and can I see a sample week?
• How does narration work in class, oral and written?
• How often do students do nature study, picture study, and handicraft?
• What math and phonics programs sit beside the living books?
• May I observe a full lesson block, not only a hallway walk?

Match the week to your household. A beautiful method on an impossible calendar still fails. Get total cost and home-day expectations in the same conversation.

• How many days per week, and what happens on home days?
• What is total cost this year, including books and fees?
• Do parents stay on campus, teach at home, or mainly drop off?
• What is class size, and which grades share a room?

One clear sentence about legal structure prevents surprises later. Write it down while you are still on site.

• Do you operate as a private school or under a homeschool umbrella?
• How do you handle high school transcripts and diplomas?
• What grades do you serve, and what happens after eighth grade?
• Do you accept ESA or voucher funds, and what are the steps?

Ask when the application window opens, whether there is a waitlist, and what deposits are refundable. Small programs fill by word of mouth earlier than families expect, especially in spring for fall seats.