When you choose to send your child to Great Hearts Irving, you choose to place your trust in our teachers, our school, and our vision of classical, liberal arts education. We are deeply honored by your trust. It is that very trust upon which our partnership is based and that makes certain demands on both of us as we work together to provide an education oriented toward the whole person—mind, heart, body, and soul.
Cultivating young persons who strive not just for intellectual excellence, but moral and physical excellence as well, is no small task, and it is only in partnership that it can be accomplished. Our teachers and administrators work diligently to provide the best possible education we can. In return, parents are expected to commit to supporting our work every step of the way and educating themselves about the classical, liberal arts education we provide and how they can support it best at home. These pages contained under our new Parent Education heading are designed to help you do just that.
Core Purpose
Great Hearts' reason for existence is summed up in its Core Purpose statement.
Why We Exist
Philosophical Pillars
Any educational practice rightly flows out of certain philosophical assumptions about the world and the human person. Learn more about the philosophical assertions that underpin a Great Hearts classical, liberal arts education.
Learn More
The Six Loves
The Virtues, The Western Tradition, Human Dignity and Freedom, Philosophical Realism, Conversation and Community, and Humility. Above all else, these serve as the guiding lights of a Great Hearts academy.
Read About the Six Loves
Values vs. Virtue
The words "values" and "virtue" are not interchangeable. Where values are temporary, utilitarian, and relative, at Great Hearts, we pursue virtue as rooted in unchanging and universal truth, goodness, and beauty.
Why Virtue?
Core Virtues
Rather than employing an explicit "character curriculum," at Great Hearts Irving, conversation about virtuous choices and right action are woven into the very fabric of our curriculum, instruction, and approach to discipline.
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School Motto
Great Hearts Irving's school motto—a quote from Socrates—succinctly encapsulates everything we believe about education at the primary and secondary levels.
Our Motto
Curriculum
We believe that the world is ordered and knowable and that the human intellect, while imperfect, can attain knowledge of reality through reason, hard work, and a coherent program of study. We believe that true education (as the formation of the soul) is a matter of development over time and within a stable community. In short, we give our students individualized attention, but within a common, compulsory, one-track curriculum.
Our Program of Study
Why Latin?
One of the most common questions we receive from parents is why we teach Latin as opposed to a more "useful" language like Spanish. University of Dallas professor and proud Great Hearts parent Dr. Laura Eidt provides an unexpected answer.
Why We Study Latin
Parent Education Events
Throughout the year, we will be hosting a number of events designed to give you, our parents, a better understanding of what we believe about education, how we live out the vision every day, and why.
Event Information
Pop Culture
One of the things that makes a Great Hearts academy unique is asking our students to leave references to popular culture outside our building and focus on more permanent things during the school day.
Why No Pop Culture?
Family Handbooks
Our Family Handbooks are the most comprehensive statement of Great Hearts' philosophy and policies. We encourage all parents to read through the handbook for your child’s campus.
Read Our Handbooks
Student Evaluation
At Great Hearts Irving, we believe in educating the whole person, and we believe student evaluation should reflect that approach. Here, student evaluation is about so much more than test scores or grades.
How We Evaluate Students
Field Trips
In-school field trips and grade-level curricular celebrations form an integral part of our school culture at Great Hearts Irving.
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Bedtime
How much sleep does your child need? Having trouble establishing a healthy bedtime routine? Interested in some ways bedtime can become more peaceful in your home?
Learn More
Healthy Activities
Play is crucial for a child's development. Need some recommendations for some activities that can replace screentime? We've got a bunch.
Things to Do
Take a Window into Wonder
One of the best ways to learn about our school is to come see what it's like in our classrooms. You're invited to join us for a tour of our campus, available for new and prospective families throughout the school year.
How to Register