Live Class Schedule

Guided Live Classes with Online Meetings

St. Thomas Aquinas Academy offers live, “semi-online” Socratic-style classes for high school students, covering writing, reasoning, religion, literature, history, economics, government, fine arts, and the natural sciences. These classes involve discussions led by an experienced advisor, supported by faith-based content, and include weekly or biweekly online meetings with fellow homeschoolers, supplemented by offline preparation activities, providing a meaningful space for students to engage in thoughtful, faith-filled dialogue.

Students can participate in STAA’s live classes regardless of enrollment status. Those not enrolled in the full STAA program can opt for the ‘Independent Study with Online Support’ option, which provides access to resources and allows registration for one or more live classes, offering flexibility to align with individual academic needs and family schedules.

A free consultation with an experienced advisor is available to discuss class options, academic placement, and registration details before the semester begins. Registration for live classes is open during the following periods:

• Fall 2025: March 15 through July 31
• Spring 2026: October 15 through December 15

Weekly and Biweekly Classes

We offer two types of live classes to support high school students’ classical education: classes that meet biweekly and classes in writing or reasoning that meet every Tuesday. The biweekly classes are labeled ♞Black Schedule or ♘White Schedule classes—you can see these symbols used on the academic calendar to indicate alternating weeks. The every Tuesday classes are called ✪Essential Schedule classes, providing a consistent structure for weekly engagement. A printable academic calendar and schedule is available for reference.

✪Essential Schedule Classes

The courses in this category—Composition I, Composition II, Essay Writing B, Logic, Essay Writing A, and Critical Reading—are designed to be studied in sequence to build writing, reasoning, and critical thinking skills, rooted in classical learning. Each course includes Tuesday Zoom meetings, held weekly for 75 minutes for a total of 16 classes per semester, with advisor grading of all writing assignments—the writing or reasoning portion of the course—and advisor grading of the English Mechanics activities—punctuation, grammar, usage, and critical thinking. These classes serve as a foundational ‘homeroom’ meeting for the semester cycle, keeping weekly studies on track and supported by an experienced advisor, fostering disciplined growth. If you are trying to choose where to start with live classes, we always suggest registering your teen for the semester's ✪Essential Schedule class and then adding on as many other classes from the semester cycle as fit with the student's academic plan and schedule.

Details:

• Meetings: ✪Essential Schedule live classes in writing and reasoning meet every Tuesday for seventy-five minutes.
• Registration Fee: $395 per semester, per student, per course, includes advisor grading.
• Materials: Requires the STAA Study Guide and core texts (sold separately; see the booklist for each course).
• Technology: Requires a Zoom-capable computer (keyboard, headset, internet), word processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Google Docs), a scanner or PDF-creating app, and access to the STAA Student Zone twice weekly for quizzes, activities, slideshows, and documents.

♞Black Schedule and ♘White Schedule Classes

These are advisor-guided, small-group Zoom discussions that meet biweekly for 90 minutes, alternating between ♞Black Schedule and ♘White Schedule as shown on our academic calendar. Limited to 10 students per class, these seminar-style meetings focus on discussion rather than lectures, encouraging thoughtful engagement in subjects like history, religion, economics, government, art, sciences, and literature. Students complete informal preparation activities for advisor grading, with an optional additional fee for evaluation of formal written assignments and tests. Live class registration requires current enrollment in St. Thomas Aquinas Academy or the 'Independent Study with Online Support' option, with discounts available for paired course registrations.

Details:

• Meetings: ♞Black Schedule and ♘White Schedule classes meet every other week for ninety minutes.
• Registration Fees: $159 per semester, per student, per course, with discounts for paired courses; includes advisor grading of meetings and informal preparation activities ( To make the difference between formal and informal assignments stand out, informal assignments are called “scheduled discussions” or “verbal assignments.”)
• Advisor Grading Option: Add advisor evaluation and grading of the live class's formal written assignments for +$115 per semester, per student, per course.
• Materials: Requires the STAA Study Guide and core texts (sold separately; see the booklist for each course).
• Technology: Requires a Zoom-capable computer (keyboard, headset, internet), word processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Google Docs), a scanner or PDF-creating app, and access to the STAA Student Zone twice weekly for quizzes, activities, slideshows, and documents.

The 2025-2026 School Year

Below, you’ll find detailed descriptions of our orientation seminars, class schedules, and academic calendar. A printable PDF version of the academic calendar and class schedule is available for your reference, offering a concise format to help you plan. Click to view & download. »

Orientation Seminars in Week B

For the 2025–2026 school year at St. Thomas Aquinas Academy, our orientation seminars occur in Week B, the week before academic classes begin. These help prepare your teen for his or her learning journey, like a park ranger offering advice and a trail map for hikers before they head off on an invigorating hike through wilderness that is new to them.

• High School Orientation: New students to the STAA high school program and their parents are invited to join a seminar introducing the features of the STAA Student Zone and Study Guides.
• Live Class ‘Book Check’ Orientation: All live class students and parents—whether new or returning—are invited to a meeting where we discuss the scopes of each course, best practices, and required books and materials, ensuring you’re ready for Week 1, Day 1.

Week A is the time prior to Week B, reserved for final planning and book ordering, that aims to help parents gather and prepare materials for a seamless start to the new semester.

Fall 2025 Class Schedule

A printable PDF version of the academic calendar and class schedule for Fall 2025 is available for download, offering a concise format to help you plan your teen’s classical education journey. Click to view & download. »

The online version below includes links to booklists for each course, as well as STAA Study Guide ordering and live class registration resources.

♞ Black Schedule

♘ White Schedule

Spring 2026 Class Schedule

A printable PDF version of the academic calendar and class schedule for Spring 2026 is available for download, offering a concise format to help you plan your teen’s classical education journey. Click to view & download. »

The online version below includes links to booklists for each course, as well as STAA Study Guide ordering and live class registration resources.

♞ Black Schedule

♘ White Schedule

Time Zones

All times are listed in Pacific Time, the home time zone of St. Thomas Aquinas Academy. It is important to use a time zone converter to compensate for your local area observing or not observing Daylight Savings Time throughout the year. World Time Buddy (worldtimebuddy.com), Timeanddate.com Time Zone Converter, and Every Time Zone (everytimezone.com) are examples of sites with time zone detecting and converting tools.

Learn More...

• The goals of our guided, discussion-based live classes for Catholic homeschooling students.
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Art on This Page

The Virgin and Child or The Madonna of the Book (c. 1480), Sandro Botticelli. Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan.