St. John’s College welcomes homeschooled students. Nearly 10 percent of Johnnies are homeschooled, and they find a college of fellow independent learners who value a community passionate about ideas. St. John’s can be a particularly great place to continue an education that breaks the mold.
The college is a perfect fit for homeschoolers because of our distinctive, discussion-based pedagogy, which supports students of all backgrounds in their quest to free their minds through the great books and conversation.
Want to learn more about being a homeschooled student at St. John’s? Read about current St. John’s students from homeschooling backgrounds. Explore the Annapolis Campus Experience and the Santa Fe Campus Experience to learn about our campuses, student groups, religious life, and more. Attend Summer Academy to experience our classical curriculum and small, discussion-based classes.
“The greatest gift homeschooling gave me was an organic unity between living and studying. They were never separated. Education was never a series of boxes to check before moving on to life. St. John’s offers the same gift, so I’m very at home here.”
“I decided to come here because it felt like a continuation of my education. It was how I’d always been learning. I would get books on these subjects and we’d talk about it. It was very similar to this education—reading and discussing, though on a much smaller scale. Everything was geared toward my interests.”
“It’s an easier transition into St. John’s from homeschooling than it would be at a regular college. Everything is discussion-based, and a lot of my education was based on understanding through collaboration. But other than that, it’s completely different. People know if you haven’t understood something, not just your tutors. It pushes me to levels that I didn’t think I could be pushed to before.”
“Homeschooling lacks the rigid structure and pacing of traditional schooling, and allows you to adapt quicker to St John’s unique learning environment.”
“St. John’s does well to make you forget there are grades tied to what you do. Here, I’m sitting down and I’m reading this book that I wanted to talk about with other people. It’s nice to have that ability. It feels like you’re sitting down and talking with friends about something that’s interesting rather than doing it for a grade.”
“You really have to visit (St. John’s) to fully understand it. Nothing written will encapsulate what the school is. The goal of St. John’s as an institution isn’t the same as a typical college. St. John’s is much more about learning what it is to learn and learning why you’re learning.”
“The homeschooling community that I was in [had] a similar sort of mentality to the one St. John’s tries to teach you—caring about arguments for the sake of trying to figure out what the answer is, as opposed to for the sake of winning. I did go to the Summer Academy program at both campuses to find out if I actually enjoyed the specific process, and I really liked [it].”
“I was a pretty shy kid, but I really opened up here. I think being a small school helped. This is a good place to be in a community. I got to know everybody quickly. I felt comfortable. I didn’t feel overwhelmed or lost.”
“The Program just seemed really perfect, because I had done a similar program with my parents when I was homeschooling. We’d read through books together and discuss them, just the three of us, so it kind of made a lot of sense to continue that in college. I’m also getting all this influence from all my peers in class, of course—things I never would have thought of on my own, a broad range of ideas.”
