Simply Classical History and Classical Studies (Memoria Press)

Simply Classical History and Classical Studies is Every Homeschool's name for the history and classical studies materials inside the Simply Classical Curriculum from Memoria Press. The publisher sells these materials within its level sets and lists subject areas that include Classical Studies and Read-Alouds; its special-needs page does not list a separate history course.

Last updated: 2026-10-08 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Classical; history and classical studies come through the Classical Studies readers the publisher lists in its level sets and the read-aloud sets it lists with them
Worldview	Christian. Memoria Press describes its philosophy as classical Christian education and lists Christian Studies, Memory, & Manners as a separate subject area. The publisher names no denomination on the pages we read. Our directory category, Christian · Ecumenical, is Every Homeschool's classification, not the publisher's term
Grades	Sold by level from My First Words through Levels 11 & 12, placed by readiness assessment; the publisher describes Level 1 as introducing history among other subjects, lists an optional literature, science, history, and geography read-aloud set with Level 2, and lists named history and classical studies items from Level 3 through Levels 11 & 12
Formats	Print books, student guides, teacher guides, and flashcards; the Levels 7 & 8 and Levels 11 & 12 Classical Studies lists also include streaming instructional videos
Cost tier	Standard (see the cost section for set prices, retrieved October 2026)
Parent intensity	4 (Every Homeschool rating)
ESA-common	Not stated on the publisher's pages
Accredited	Not stated on the publisher's pages
Established	The publisher's pages do not state a year for the curriculum. The companion book is listed as a Second Edition, copyright 2019
Website	memoriapress.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	In our assessment, the named readers (such as Famous Men of Rome) come with guides that include comprehension questions, mapwork, and research projects, paced for the learner
Ease of teaching	3	Each level has a Curriculum Manual; in our assessment, the program is parent-led
Content quality	4	Named history and classical studies items across the later levels, from American history in Level 3 (the read-aloud books are sold separately) to Famous Men volumes in Levels 7 through 12
Flexibility	4	Levels are placed by readiness assessment, and the publisher says all levels can be customized by subject
Value for money	4	Set prices from $339.15 (Level 3) to $830.47 (Levels 9 & 10, two-year pace) for the sets that carry history items (retrieved October 2026); history is not sold as a separate course
Worldview scope	3	The publisher says Levels 11 & 12 study ancient Greece and biblical history, and its FAQ says faith references are explicit in some materials and implicit in others
Visual/design	3	The publisher's Quick Reference Guide lists an emphasis on books with elegant illustrations, and the Levels 5 & 6 page describes the artwork in D'Aulaires' Greek Myths as a teaching tool
Support resources	4	Free readiness assessments, a free online forum, and free customer service, plus a curriculum map, a scope and sequence, and recommendations after Levels 11 & 12

Who the publisher is

Memoria Press describes itself as a family-run publishing company that produces classical Christian education materials for home and private schools, and it lists a mailing address in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Simply Classical Curriculum is credited to Cheryl Swope, whom the page calls its creator. The page says she holds a master's degree in special education and lifetime K-12 state teaching certifications in learning disabilities and behavior disorders. The publisher says the curriculum has been adapted especially for students with significant learning challenges, and its Quick Reference Guide says the packages are based on the classical Christian education provided at Highlands Latin School.

The publisher's special-needs page lists complete sets for My First Words, Levels A, B, and C, Levels 1 through 4, and paired Levels 5 & 6, 7 & 8, 9 & 10, and 11 & 12, along with subject areas that include Classical Studies, Read-Alouds, Latin, and Christian Studies, Memory, & Manners. The history and classical studies items by level, as the publisher's set pages list them, are:

• Level 3: the level description says the student learns about American history. The set lists a Level 3 Enrichment Guide among its optional enrichment, which the publisher says is organized by week and schedules American history through the Level 3 American History Read-Aloud books, maps, classical music selections, and art cards. The separately sold Simply Classical American History Set ($303.74, retrieved October 2026) is a set of read-aloud books, including The Thanksgiving Story, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere's Ride.
• Level 4: the level description says students begin grammar-level studies of mammals, multiplication, and mythology.
• Levels 5 & 6: the Classical Studies list is D'Aulaires' Greek Myths with its Teacher Manual and flashcards, plus timeline materials.
• Levels 7 & 8: the level description says students study ancient Rome. The Classical Studies list is Famous Men of Rome with its Teacher Guide, flashcards, and streaming instructional videos, and The Story of the World, Vol. 1: Ancients appears under Optional Enrichment.
• Levels 9 & 10: the level description says students study the Middle Ages. The Classical Studies list is Famous Men of the Middle Ages with its Teacher Guide and flashcards, and The Story of the World, Vol. 2 appears under Optional Enrichment.
• Levels 11 & 12: the level description says students study ancient Greece and biblical history. The Classical Studies list is Famous Men of Greece with its Teacher Guide, flashcards, and streaming instructional videos, and The Story of the World, Vol. 3 appears under Optional Enrichment.

On faith, Memoria Press describes its educational philosophy as classical Christian education. The Level 4 page says studies are informed by God's Holy Word, and the publisher's FAQ says faith references are explicit in some materials and implicit in others.

The core pedagogy

The publisher describes placement by readiness assessment: a student who scores Yes or Emerging on approximately 80 percent of the total items in a single category is ready for that level, and when a student scores that in all categories for a level, the parent may teach the entire level for that child. All levels can be customized by moving up in a stronger subject or down in a weaker one. The same page describes a slower pace with ample review, including optional 8-week extensions of early levels, and links a scope and sequence along with tips for transitioning to the Memoria Press Classical Core and recommendations for students after Levels 11 and 12. The Quick Reference Guide describes Levels 5 through 12 as two-year levels at the standard pace, or one year at an accelerated pace.

For the history readers, the publisher's pages describe the materials this way. The Levels 7 & 8 page says the Famous Men of Rome workbook course has 30 lessons, each with famous quotes, a drill of key people and places, vocabulary words, comprehension questions, and an activities section with mapwork, discussion questions, and research projects, and the Levels 9 & 10 page gives a similar description for Famous Men of the Middle Ages. The Levels 5 & 6 page says many studies in those levels are conducted orally and that a separate set of workbooks is available for any student who needs or wants additional writing practice.

Signature mechanics: (1) Placement by readiness, per the About page. (2) A slower pace with ample review, as the publisher's feature list describes. (3) Named classical readers by level, as listed above. (4) Oral components that reduce the demand for written responses, per the same feature list.

A day in the life

The publisher does not publish a sample history day on the pages Every Homeschool read, so this section sticks to what the publisher describes. For Level 3, it says the Enrichment Guide is organized by week and coordinates with the Level 3 Curriculum Manual, and that it schedules American history, poetry, music, art, and science with discussion questions. For Levels 7 through 12, the Famous Men guides are described as workbook lessons with quotes, a drill of key people and places, vocabulary, comprehension questions, and activities. The publisher's Level 4 page says that level is designed for a few concentrated hours four to five days a week, and the Quick Reference Guide lists a 4-day week, to allow for doctor appointments, therapies, or rest, among the adaptations built into Levels 2 and 3.

What they do exceptionally well

Named classical readers across the levels. In our assessment, the sets give a family a clear reading sequence in history and classical studies: American history in Level 3 (the read-aloud books are sold separately), Greek myths in Levels 5 and 6, then Rome, the Middle Ages, and Greece in the later levels, with a Teacher Manual or Teacher Guide listed on the publisher's set page for the Greek myths and each Famous Men volume.

Placement and customization. The publisher provides free readiness assessments and says on its Simply Classical page that every level can be customized by subject. In our assessment, a student who is ahead in one subject and behind in another can be placed at different levels in each.

Published scope and support. The publisher posts a Quick Reference Guide, a curriculum map, and a scope and sequence, along with a free online forum and free customer service.

What they do poorly

History is not sold as its own course. The publisher's special-needs page lists complete level sets and subject areas that include Classical Studies and Read-Alouds, not a history course. A family that wants only history would buy the Classical Studies items or customize a set. In our assessment, that takes more planning than buying a single named course.

Transition planning after the final levels. The publisher's About page links recommendations for students after Levels 11 and 12 and tips for transitioning to the Memoria Press Classical Core, and its Quick Reference Guide says a student may graduate or begin all or part of Memoria Press grade levels 6 or 7. In our assessment, families should read those documents early and plan the transition rather than leave it until Level 12.

Parent intensity. In our assessment, the program is parent-led: each level has a Curriculum Manual, and the publisher's sample plans list teacher tasks alongside student tasks. Families who want a program that lightens the parent load through video should note that the publisher lists streaming instructional videos for Famous Men of Rome and Famous Men of Greece, not for every history reader.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Simply Classical History and Classical Studies if: your student has significant learning challenges and you want classical history and classical studies readers paced for the student, as the publisher describes; you want to place your student by readiness assessment; you are comfortable teaching from a Curriculum Manual.

• Skip Simply Classical History and Classical Studies if: you want a history course you can buy on its own (the publisher sells these items within level sets and by subject area); your student's special needs are only mild to moderate, in which case the publisher's Quick Reference Guide points to its Classical Core Curriculum; you want a secular history program; you want video lessons for every history reader, since the publisher lists streaming instructional videos for some of the history items and not others.

Cost honest assessment

Current prices on the publisher's pages (retrieved October 2026) for the sets that carry the history items above:

Set	Current price
Level 3	$339.15
Level 4	$529.39
Levels 5 & 6, one-year pace	$733.97
Levels 7 & 8, one-year pace	$607.81
Levels 9 & 10, one-year pace	$815.47
Levels 11 & 12, one-year pace	$599.64

As of October 2026, the two-year-pace sets for Levels 5 through 12 cost $15.00 more than the one-year sets: Levels 5 & 6 $748.97 current, Levels 7 & 8 $622.81, Levels 9 & 10 $830.47, and Levels 11 & 12 $614.64. The separately sold Simply Classical American History Set is $303.74. Sale prices change, so a family should check the current price for its level before ordering. The publisher's special-needs page also lists individual subject areas, which a family can buy separately.

ESA eligibility notes

The Simply Classical pages that Every Homeschool read in October 2026 do not mention state education savings account programs or marketplaces, and the publisher's support page does not list them either. Families using state education funds should check their program's approved-vendor list and its rules for students with disabilities, and confirm with Memoria Press customer service before ordering.

Alternatives

• Heart of Dakota: the publisher describes a Christian homeschool curriculum from preschool through high school, built on Charlotte Mason style living books, hands-on activities, and open-and-go daily plans. In our assessment, a family would compare it with Simply Classical when it wants a living-books method rather than classical level sets.
• Catholic Heritage Curricula: the publisher describes textbooks, workbooks, and lesson plans for Catholic homeschoolers, with flexible, open-and-go lesson plans and no tuition or enrollment fees. In our assessment, a family would compare it with Simply Classical when it wants a Catholic curriculum; Memoria Press describes Simply Classical as classical Christian education.
• Mother of Divine Grace School: the school describes a Catholic, classical approach to distance learning, with personalized academic plans, scripted daily lessons, and an educational consultant for each family. In our assessment, a family would compare it with Simply Classical when it wants a Catholic classical program with consultant support.