Memoria Press vs Henle Latin (2026): which homeschool Latin sequence?

The classical-Christian Latin sequence question. Memoria Press's modern Prima Latina to Fourth Form scaffolding compared with the century-old Jesuit Henle Latin standard. Where each one shines and where each one breaks.

Memoria Press and Henle Latin are not really competing curricula. They are complementary stages of the same classical-Christian Latin sequence. Memoria Press is the modern multi-volume scaffolding (Prima Latina, Latina Christiana, First Form, Second Form, Third Form, Fourth Form) that walks a child from age 7 through age 14 in carefully paced grammar and vocabulary acquisition. Henle Latin is the century-old Jesuit text written by Father Robert Henle in 1945, still the canonical American Catholic and classical-Protestant high-school Latin text. The pedagogical question is when to make the transition, not which one to use.

Decision rubric, side by side

Memoria Press wins 3 · Henle Latin (Loyola Press) wins 2 · Tied on 2

Verdict

The vast majority of classical-Christian homeschool families use both: Memoria Press from Prima Latina through Fourth Form (roughly grades 2 through 8), then transition to Henle in high school. The question of "which one" usually resolves into "when to transition." The transition usually happens around grade 8-9 once the student has finished Memoria's Fourth Form and is ready for the heavier reading load Henle demands.