Schola Rosa

Schola Rosa is the Catholic classical co-op curriculum and online-class network built by Alecia Rolling and operated from Rolling Acres School in Lucedale, Mississippi. It brings together the classical trivium, Charlotte Mason's living-books emphasis, and Thomistic-Scholastic theology in a single coordinated program designed specifically for Catholic families, available either as a co-op framework or as a stand-alone home-study curriculum.

Last updated: 2026-04-24 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Catholic classical + Charlotte Mason + Scholastic/Thomistic integration; co-op or home-study
Worldview	Christian-Catholic (explicitly "in obedience and fidelity to the Catholic Church")
Grades	K-6 (core curriculum); 7-12 (self-paced courses via Oxrose Press/Oxrose Academy)
Formats	Print, digital, and co-op-integrated; online classes for upper grades
Cost tier	Standard
Parent intensity	4 (home-study); 2-3 (co-op-supplemented)
ESA-common	Yes
Accredited	No (Oxrose Academy operates as an independent program; formal diocesan accreditation not claimed publicly)
Established	2011 (Oxrose Academy co-founded by Alecia Rolling; Schola Rosa emerged in 2012 expansion)
Website	scholarosa.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	Integrated classical-Catholic sequence with Latin, Greek (Cycle 3), and Thomistic philosophical framing
Ease of teaching	3	Integrated family schedule helps; home-study load on the parent remains real
Content quality	4	Thoughtfully curated primary texts, Catholic literary tradition, and well-paced cycles
Flexibility	4	Co-op or home-study; per-subject or full-cycle purchase; 7-12 self-paced
Value for money	4	Fair pricing for the scope; co-op amortizes the parent load across families
Worldview scope	1	Built specifically for Catholic families; liturgical year integration is central
Visual/design	3	Functional; text-forward production appropriate to the classical tradition
Support resources	3	Author-led small publisher; email and online-class support; no large call center

Who the publisher is

Schola Rosa, meaning "School of the Rose," named for St. Rose of Lima (Venerini), the Italian educator of girls, was developed by Alecia Rolling, a Catholic homeschool mother who co-founded Oxrose Academy in 2011 and began developing what would become the Schola Rosa curriculum shortly thereafter. In 2012, co-ops and companies familiar with Oxrose's online classes asked for a program for seventh-through-twelfth-grade students in a co-op setting, and the broader Schola Rosa offering expanded from that moment. Today the organization operates under Rolling Acres School, LLC, with Oxrose Press as the publishing imprint and Oxrose Academy as the online-course arm.

The operation is small by the standards of the national homeschool-curriculum market and deliberately so. Unlike Seton Home Study School or Mother of Divine Grace, the two largest Catholic homeschool providers. Schola Rosa has not chased enrolled-school scale. The business model instead combines a curriculum publisher, an online course provider, and a loose network of Catholic homeschool co-ops who adopt the Schola Rosa framework. A Catholic family encountering Schola Rosa typically does so either because a local co-op uses it or because the family is specifically looking for a Catholic classical curriculum that integrates the liturgical year and Charlotte Mason's living-books method in a way the larger providers do not.

Theologically, Schola Rosa is explicit about its Catholic positioning. The mission statement opens with docere ut salventur, "to teach that they may be saved", and the organization describes its work as conducted "in obedience and fidelity to the Catholic Church." The curriculum integrates the liturgical year into the daily and weekly rhythms; saints' feasts, Advent and Lent traditions, and the seasonal movement of the Church calendar shape both the content and the pacing. The organization does not publicly identify as either Tridentine-liturgical or post-conciliar-reform-critical; the posture is mainstream-faithful-Catholic, aligned with the Magisterium and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, with liturgical practice that accommodates both ordinary-form and traditional-Latin-Mass families.

Patroness and institutional identity: the curriculum is placed under the patronage of St. Rose of Lima (Venerini), distinguished from the more famous St. Rose of Lima (Peruvian) by the specific Italian educator-saint whose work among girls shaped the Venerini Sisters' teaching tradition. This is a small detail but a meaningful one, it signals a curriculum that takes its specifically Catholic educational heritage seriously rather than adopting a generic Christian branding.

The core pedagogy

Schola Rosa integrates three pedagogical traditions: classical education, Charlotte Mason's method, and Thomistic-Scholastic philosophical framing. The company describes its approach as "a unique mix of Charlotte Mason, Classical and Scholastic insights, Thomistic Realism, and common sense." What this means in practice:

From the classical tradition: the trivium-structured scope and sequence (grammar, logic, rhetoric stages across the grades), the emphasis on Latin as a core language from the early years, the cyclic history rotation that returns students to the same periods at progressively greater depth, and a primary-text orientation in the upper grades.

From Charlotte Mason: short lessons in the elementary years, narration as a core response-to-reading practice, nature study integrated into science, picture study and composer study as regular rotations, and the use of "living books", meaning carefully selected literature written by authors with real engagement with the subject, rather than generic textbooks.

From the Scholastic/Thomistic tradition: an underlying philosophical realism that takes the existence of objective truth, beauty, and goodness as starting assumptions; a willingness to engage Aquinas, Augustine, and the broader Catholic intellectual tradition as live interlocutors in the upper grades; and an orientation toward integration, the curriculum assumes these traditions are compatible and complementary, not competing.

The signature mechanic is the three-cycle history rotation. Schola Rosa structures its K-6 core across three cycles. Cycle 1 (Ancients through Classical), Cycle 2 (the Christian Age through Medieval), and Cycle 3 (a Greek-integrated expansion), each of which is covered twice during the K-6 years. A student in this sequence encounters the ancient world, the Christian civilizational era, and the modern period multiple times at increasing depth, integrating history, literature, and Catholic-tradition readings at each level. The three-cycle model is a Schola Rosa variation on the classical history rotation; most classical programs use a four-year rotation, but Schola Rosa's six-year span and three cycles allows each cycle to go twice.

The second mechanic is the integrated family schedule. All children in a family are on roughly the same topic at different levels at the same time, so a second-grader and a fifth-grader studying the Roman Empire are reading age-appropriate texts, narrating at age-appropriate levels, but working within the same historical period. This is a genuine gift to families with multiple children; it collapses the parent-planning load dramatically compared to having each child on a different topic in a different month. The same mechanic is used by Tapestry of Grace, My Father's World, and several other multi-subject curricula, but Schola Rosa's version is specifically tuned for a Catholic classical household.

The third mechanic is the co-op integration. Schola Rosa publishes the curriculum in a format that works either for a single home-study family or for a co-op of families who meet weekly for the enrichment and group-learning portions of the program. Co-ops typically divide the program so that the core reading and narration happens at home, and the group meeting covers picture study, music, science experiments, Latin chants, feast-day celebrations, and discussion. For Catholic families with a local co-op using Schola Rosa, the model is unusually well-served; for isolated families, the home-study version works but loses the social and liturgical richness the co-op provides.

A day in the life

A third-grader in a Schola Rosa Cycle 1 (Ancients) year, working at home, starts the morning at roughly 8:30 a.m. with the family's liturgical opening, a short prayer, the day's saint, a brief reading from the current liturgical season (five to ten minutes). Morning lessons follow the short-lesson rhythm Mason championed. First lesson: twenty minutes of math from the family's chosen math publisher (Schola Rosa does not publish math as its core; families typically use Singapore, RightStart, or another outside program). Second lesson: twenty minutes of history reading from the term's book (a children's history of ancient Egypt, for example), followed by a brief oral narration. Third lesson: fifteen minutes of Latin (vocabulary, chant, memory work). Short break.

The morning continues: fifteen minutes of copywork (handwriting practice with a passage from the week's reading), twenty minutes of literature read-aloud (a chapter of a living book aligned to the term), fifteen minutes of science or nature study (observation of a plant or insect, journal entry), and a twenty-minute art or music appreciation block (picture study or composer study rotation). Total morning: roughly two hours of focused work, with the liturgical frame threaded through the opening and the saints-day readings.

Afternoons are typically lighter, free reading, handicrafts, outdoor time, perhaps a feast-day craft if the day falls on a significant liturgical observance. For families in a weekly co-op, one of the weekdays is structured differently: the family travels to the co-op location, where the enrichment portions of the week (group picture study, music class, Latin chants, science experiments, feast-day celebration) happen with other families. This is the social and liturgical heart of the program when the co-op version is available.

What they do exceptionally well

Liturgical year integration as structural. Most Catholic homeschool curricula treat the liturgical calendar as supplementary, a saint-of-the-day sidebar, an Advent activity pack. Schola Rosa treats it as structural: the pacing, the feast days, the seasonal reading rotations, and the Catholic cultural formation are woven into the curriculum at the design level. For a Catholic family who wants the liturgical year to genuinely shape the school year rather than decorate it, this matters significantly.

Co-op integration done right. A curriculum designed to work both as a solo home-study and as a co-op framework is harder to engineer than publishers often acknowledge. Schola Rosa does it well, the materials genuinely work in both modes, and the co-op version is not a bolted-on adaptation of a solo curriculum. For Catholic families fortunate enough to have or be near a Schola Rosa co-op, the model is one of the strongest in the Catholic homeschool world.

Catholic intellectual tradition as living. The upper-grade sequence (Oxrose Academy's 7-12 self-paced courses) engages Aquinas, Augustine, Chesterton, and the Catholic literary tradition as current conversation partners, not historical relics. This is rare and valuable, many American Catholic homeschool programs stop at catechism and Church history; Schola Rosa and its Oxrose Academy arm treat the full Catholic intellectual inheritance as the student's birthright.

Classical-plus-Mason integration. The combination of Mason's short-lesson pacing in the early grades with classical content and the Thomistic philosophical frame is genuinely integrated, not merely advertised. Families who have previously tried to stitch together a Mason early-childhood program with a separate classical core will find Schola Rosa has done the work for them at the design level.

What they do poorly

Limited public-facing documentation. Relative to Seton and Mother of Divine Grace, both of which publish extensive catalogs, pricing, scope-and-sequence documents, and family-facing guides, Schola Rosa's public website documentation is thinner. Families investigating the program will need to reach out to the publisher directly for detailed scope documents, pricing on specific cycles and grades, and co-op location directories. This is manageable but adds friction to the enrollment process.

Small-publisher scale constraints. Schola Rosa is a small operation relative to the national Catholic homeschool market. The company does not have convention representatives at every regional homeschool convention, does not run a national call center, and does not have the production capacity of larger publishers. Support questions are answered, but by a small team; materials are updated, but on a smaller-publisher cadence.

Math and foreign-language coverage outside the catalog. Like most classical-Catholic publishers, Schola Rosa does not publish its own math spine; families will pair with Singapore, RightStart, or a similar outside publisher. Latin is covered but advanced modern-language instruction (Spanish, French) is not the publisher's specialty. For families seeking a single-publisher K-12 complete solution, this is a gap; for families comfortable assembling a curriculum from multiple publishers, it is not.

The 7-12 transition involves a format shift. The K-6 core curriculum works as a cohesive integrated sequence; the 7-12 Oxrose Academy self-paced courses are a different format, online individual courses rather than an integrated family schedule. Families moving from the K-6 Schola Rosa model to the 7-12 Oxrose model will experience a structural shift around the middle-school transition. Some families prefer this; others find the change disorienting.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Schola Rosa if: you are Catholic and want a curriculum that integrates the liturgical year structurally rather than as a supplement; you have multiple children and want an integrated family schedule that keeps everyone on the same topic at different levels; you are in or near a Schola Rosa co-op (or willing to help start one); you appreciate the classical trivium combined with Charlotte Mason's short-lesson pacing; you want a Catholic intellectual tradition that engages Aquinas and Augustine as living interlocutors rather than historical figures.

• Skip Schola Rosa if: you want a large-scale Catholic homeschool provider with extensive public documentation, convention presence, and institutional call-center support (pick Seton or MODG instead); you want a single-publisher K-12 complete curriculum including math (the company does not publish math); you want specifically Tridentine-liturgical or traditional-Latin-Mass-aligned materials (Schola Rosa accommodates both ordinary-form and TLM families but is not specifically TLM-oriented); you want a workbook-based traditional format rather than a living-books-with-narration model; you do not have a nearby co-op and would struggle with the home-study-only version's parent intensity.

Cost honest assessment

Schola Rosa pricing is structured by cycle and grade level rather than as a single annual tuition. Specific current pricing for the K-6 core and the 7-12 Oxrose Academy courses should be confirmed directly on the Oxrose Press shop and Oxrose Academy pages, as the publisher does not publish a universal rate card. Families should plan for teaching-guide and curriculum-cycle purchases in the range typical of small-publisher classical-Catholic materials, historically in the $150-$400 range per grade-level cycle, with the actual living books purchased separately.

Compared to Mother of Divine Grace (roughly $400-$700 per year for consultant-supported enrollment), Schola Rosa's materials-only model is less expensive but does not include the consultant consultation MODG provides. Compared to Seton Home Study School (roughly $600-$900 per year for full-enrolled tuition with graded assignments), Schola Rosa is similarly less expensive but does not provide graded-assignment turnaround. Compared to Kolbe Academy enrollment, Schola Rosa is substantially cheaper but offers a different model entirely.

A realistic annual budget for a family using Schola Rosa with two K-6 students, in home-study mode, typically runs $400-$700 for the curriculum materials plus $200-$500 for outside math, living books purchased new (with library borrowing reducing this), and any additional materials. Co-op participation adds co-op fees (typically $200-$600 per year depending on the specific co-op's structure and meeting frequency) but offsets the parent intensity of home-study-only.

ESA eligibility notes

Schola Rosa curriculum materials are broadly eligible on state ESA marketplaces that accept Catholic educational materials. Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program, Florida's Step Up For Students, West Virginia's Hope Scholarship, Iowa's Students First program, and Utah Fits All have all historically reimbursed Catholic classical curriculum purchases. The Oxrose Academy online courses for grades 7-12 are also typically eligible. States that restrict ESA funds to secular materials will not reimburse Schola Rosa given the explicit Catholic theological framing. Families should verify current-year rules with their state administrator before purchasing. Individual Schola Rosa co-ops may have their own ESA-processing workflows that vary by state.

Alternatives

• Mother of Divine Grace, a family would pick MODG over Schola Rosa if they want Laura Berquist's consultant-supported Catholic classical model with a full K-12 scope, a dedicated consultant for their family's academic planning, and a more established institutional infrastructure.
• Memoria Press, a family would pick Memoria Press over Schola Rosa if they want a coordinated classical K-12 core with strong Latin and Great Books programs across a broader non-denominational-classical-Christian audience, accepting that the Catholic liturgical integration is not the framing.
• Seton Home Study School, a family would pick Seton over Schola Rosa if they want a full enrolled Catholic K-12 program with institutional accreditation, graded written assignments, a diploma-track path, and the Seton traditional-Catholic pedagogical posture.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed Schola Rosa's public materials at scholarosa.com in April 2026, including the Mission page, the Curriculum Introduction, and the Products listing. The Oxrose Academy and Oxrose Press pages were reviewed for the 7-12 online course offerings. Alecia Rolling as founder and the 2011 Oxrose Academy / 2012 Schola Rosa expansion timeline were confirmed against her LinkedIn profile and the Mission page's organizational history. The three-cycle rotation and the pedagogical blend (classical + Charlotte Mason + Scholastic/Thomistic) reflect the publisher's own published materials. Current pricing for specific cycles and grades should be confirmed directly with the publisher at time of purchase; the ranges cited reflect historical norms for small-publisher classical-Catholic materials.