Testimonials and Reviews

Hear from our parents, teachers, and students about what makes Classical Academy de Lafayette so special to them!

What Parents Are Saying About CAL

"The girls and I sometimes go to a yoga class on Wednesday evenings. I was tired after school and said, "I
don't want to go to yoga today. My body is tired."[My daughter] paused and got this sparkle in her eye and said, "Mommy! You need fortitude right now, and perseverance. Beautiful demonstration of how she's integrating the values...
She's very happy and loves class so much. Thank you for being her teacher and positive part of her life."
-Mother of Kindergarten & 3rd grade students

"The first day of school, I grabbed the wrong backpack, and needed to bring my daughter's backpack to school after morning drop-off. It was a huge blessing because I was invited to listen-in to your speech to the students. I had tears streaming down my face as I heard you speak, and I wanted you to know how powerful and poignant your words were; how very, very needed and important those concepts are, and how rare it is to hear someone speaking them out loud, let alone to a group of children. To combine the concepts of freedom (& revolution) WITH the necessity of self-governance, and the way those two things are essential to each other, is like speaking truth to the soul in a way that will make these children masters of their futures if they choose to be... and the belief in our (their) potential and possibilities, especially when we work together and within our values - what a call to heart and to action. I wished it had been recorded, because I would have listened to it again, and played it for my family. This school is a beacon of hope and I'm so grateful we are here. It's been a long road these last few years for our family. This is our fifth school in two years and when I heard you speak I knew we were home. That made me cry too. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

-A message from a parent to our Founder, Katy McKinney

"I see an amazing difference with [my granddaughter] this year regarding school….she talks about
what is going on at school and her teachers and staff….previous years, she would not talk about school. She loves calling us and practicing her recitations…you guys are doing an amazing job!! Thanks for all you do!!

-Grandparent of a 3rd grade student

I just finished watching The State of the Academy video It was fantastic! You & your team are doing such a great job.

-Bruce & Vicki Eilenberger

"It's only [our daughter's] 2nd day as a 2nd grader at boot camp and she is asking a lot of questions about the Preamble. After day 1 she wanted to know what the words meant and then she had many more Constitution questions. We just love this! This excitement and inquisitiveness never happened to her in public school. Her big brain was shut down going through the motions and none of it pulled her in and interested her. We are extremely excited to see what’s going to happen this year with her at CAL!"

-Parent of a 2nd grade student

"Katy is a fantastic leader, innovator, problem solver - our appreciation for her is unbounded. Her
commitment to excellence in education has created a God-send for our children in CAL."

-Parent of 6th and 8th grade students