July '25 School Spotlight - St. Jerome Academy in Hyattsville, MD

St. Jerome Academy – Hyattsville, Maryland The Parish School That Sparked a National Renewal in Classical Catholic Education

St. Jerome Academy, located in Hyattsville, MD, just outside Washington, D.C., is a K-8 parish school with an outsized influence. Founded in 1943 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the school served generations of Catholic families from the heart of Hyattsville, Maryland. Like many Catholic schools in the early 21st century, it eventually found itself at a crossroads. Enrollment was falling. Culture was shifting. The future felt uncertain.

But instead of closing or compromising, the St. Jerome community chose something bold: a return to the roots of Catholic education. In 2010, after a period of deep consultation and prayer, the parish launched a comprehensive renewal centered on the classical liberal arts tradition. That effort gave rise to the St. Jerome Educational Plan—a curriculum framework that would not only save the school, but inspire a national movement.

The Plan, which remains freely available online, has become the most widely used curriculum document in the classical Catholic renewal. Structured around the stages of the Trivium—Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric—it invites students to explore the full sweep of human history through a Catholic lens. From Mesopotamia to Christendom to modern America, students encounter the great stories, saints, and ideas that have shaped our civilization. Subjects are not taught in isolation but integrated into a unified vision of reality—one that sees all truth as ultimately rooted in Christ.

That formation begins even before kindergarten. In 2013, St. Jerome Academy opened its Montessori Children’s House, serving children aged 18 months to 6 years as they begin to explore the world beyond the home. Grounded in the conviction of Maria Montessori that all learning begins in wonder, the Montessori program at St. Jerome offers children a peaceful, ordered environment in which to pursue their natural desire for knowledge. What distinguishes this Montessori setting is not only its academic rigor, but its distinctly Catholic foundation: a vision of the child rooted in the dignity of the human person and ordered to the love of God. At the heart of the program is the Atrium, a space dedicated to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, where children encounter the mysteries of the faith with joy, reverence, and awe. As part of a classical school, the Montessori Center is unique—designed to embody the harmony between the Montessori method and the classical tradition, both of which see education as a response to truth, beauty, and the Incarnate Word.

This transformation of curriculum went hand in hand with a renewal of culture. Today, students at St. Jerome begin each day with prayer and often attend daily Mass. The seasons of the Church year animate the rhythm of school life. Latin, sacred music, literature, and nature study are not extra— they are essential parts of the school's formation in wonder. The Montessori-based early childhood program lays a joyful foundation, while the upper grades lead students into deeper habits of reflection, expression, and virtue.

What sets St. Jerome Academy apart is not only its academic vision, but its unwavering commitment to recognizing the dignity of every human person. Rooted in the Church’s understanding of the child as made in the image of God, the school has developed a thoughtful, mission-driven approach to supporting students with a range of learning needs—without compromising its classical and Catholic identity. Through its Resource Program, students receive targeted reading interventions, classroom accommodations, and individualized learning plans that reflect both their challenges and their unique gifts. This work is not auxiliary to the school’s mission—it flows directly from it.

To sustain and expand this commitment, St. Jerome Academy established the St. Margaret of Castello Alliance for Catholic Inclusion, a center dedicated to ensuring that all of God’s children, including those with special needs, receive the support they need to thrive within the school’s rich, comprehensive Catholic environment. The Alliance assists in resource development, teacher formation, and parental accompaniment—offering both technical and pastoral support. In 2022, the school received a grant from the Catholic Coalition for Special Education to strengthen its early-grade services, further deepening its ability to welcome every student into the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.

St. Jerome’s renewal has borne fruit not just in test scores or enrollment numbers—though both are strong—but in the lives of the students and families it has formed. The school’s success inspired the founding of St. Jerome Institute, a classical Catholic high school in Washington, D.C., which now extends the vision into young adulthood. Educators from across the country visit, consult the Plan, and ask how they can do the same in their own communities.

In an era marked by educational fragmentation and cultural uncertainty, St. Jerome Academy offers something deeply needed: a joyful and ordered education rooted in the Church’s intellectual tradition, attentive to the full dignity of the child, and animated by a love of truth, beauty, and goodness.

To learn more about St. Jerome Academy or to download the St. Jerome Educational Plan, visit www.stjeromeacademy.org.

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🌐 Learn more about St. Jerome Academy: stjeromeacademy.org