Sterling Academy Blog

5 Benefits of Enrolling in an Online Latin Course for High School Credit

Posted by Sterling Staff on Nov 15, 2021 2:06:00 PM

The current pandemic might have introduced a lot of people to the benefits of remote education, but our educators at Sterling Academy have long known the value of online learning. In addition to offering flexible scheduling and diverse, customized instruction — all within a safe environment — our rigorous curriculum also provides students with the opportunity to explore quality courses that might not be available in more traditional schools.

Consider, for example, Latin. Many schools have eliminated Latin from their offerings despite the fact that studies show even a rudimentary understanding of Latin greatly improves students’ cognitive development. Take a look at five important benefits of taking an online Latin course for high school credit:

  1. Latin is a Foundation for Most Major Disciplines
    While Latin is no longer used as a spoken language, it evolved into French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian (also known as the Romance languages), of which 900 million worldwide speakers currently use. In addition, some of the most definitive literary works in the medical, legal, theological, scientific, diplomatic, and philosophical fields were originally written in Latin, making basic knowledge of it extremely helpful when studying most major disciplines today.

  2. Learning Latin Differentiates an Application or Résumé
    Whether seeking admission to a college or university or submitting an application for a job, taking an online Latin course for high school credit and having it listed on a transcript or résumé sets you apart from your competitors. Few people choose to learn Latin, and having it on your own CV indicates you’re not only a unique thinker but a hard worker, as well. Latin, after all, is a difficult language to learn, one requiring patience, dedication, and abstract thinking to master.

  3. Latin Facilitates Modern Appreciation of Art and History
    Of course, taking an online Latin course for high school credit will inevitably result in enough knowledge to understand the inscriptions written on the art, monuments, and other artifacts of the western world, allowing you to better appreciate and understand their historical significance.

  4. Latin Knowledge Improves Test Scores
    Research indicates that taking an in-person or online Latin course for high school credit can boost a student’s scores on standardized tests and improve his or her overall academic performance. This is because learning Latin requires diligence and informs a basic understanding of English vocabulary (many words of which stem from Latin roots), as well as the history and culture of Western civilization. 

  5. Latin Prepares Students for Learning to Code
    Although it might not seem evident, taking an online Latin course for high school credit is a wonderful way to prepare yourself for working in the computer science field later in life. At its core, coding, like Latin, is a type of language. Having a foundation that allows you to recognize patterns and follow an established set of rules (like you do when you learn to read, write and speak Latin) makes it easier for you to learn and write computer code. There’s little doubt that computer programming is a particularly marketable skill, and knowing Latin is a way to boost your familiarity and understanding of computer programming so that you can secure a tech job in the future.

Ready to Learn More?

Enrolling in an online Latin course for high school credit sets students apart and provides meaningful scholastic supports that often translates into higher academic achievement. To learn more about taking an online Latin course from highly qualified teachers on your own time and from the comfort of your own home, please contact Sterling Academy.


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Topics: Online Learning, academics

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