We didn't build a school. We built a community.
Heart & Heritage Academy exists because one educator refused to believe that children had to choose between academic excellence and a life well-lived.
Our Story
Heart & Heritage Academy was born out of a vision — and a conviction.
In August 2021, Kari Klenke opened the doors of Heart & Heritage as an extension of her existing educational practice, Klenke and the Brain. What began as a natural outgrowth of years spent walking alongside students and families became something far greater than she imagined: a one-room schoolhouse community rooted in faith, built on relationship, and committed to the whole child.
We believe that education is not a subject. It is a life. And we have built every part of Heart & Heritage around that belief.
Our Motto
"Cultivating Hearts for Christ to build a lasting heritage rooted in Him."
This is not a marketing tagline. It is the heartbeat of everything we do. Every lesson, every conversation, every moment on our six acres exists to point students toward something greater than a grade or a diploma. We learn through the lens of God's amazing creation — and we believe that when a child's heart is cultivated well, everything else follows.
Meet Kari
Built by someone who has walked every step of this road.
Kari Klenke holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Saint Louis University and brings decades of experience across every corner of the educational landscape. She has taught in public and private schools, served as Center Director and Director of Education for Sylvan Learning Center, practiced as a vision therapist, and most importantly — homeschooled all four of her own children from the beginning, straight through graduation.
But Kari's approach to education goes far beyond credentials and experience. She believes — deeply and without apology — that a child cannot be understood through an academic lens alone.
"Education is holistic. Academics, mental health, physical health, emotional health — it is all intertwined and it cannot be separated. When we try to educate only the mind while ignoring the heart, the body, and the spirit, we miss the whole child entirely."
This conviction drives everything at Heart & Heritage. Every student who walks through our doors is seen, known, and valued — not for what they produce, but for who they are.
Our Approach
We see the whole child. Always.
At Heart & Heritage we do not separate academic growth from emotional wellbeing, physical health from spiritual formation, or classroom learning from real life. These things are not in competition with one another — they are deeply, beautifully intertwined.
We use the Charlotte Mason philosophy as our academic foundation because it honors this truth. Living books over dry textbooks. Nature study over worksheets. Narration over multiple choice. Real learning over performance.
And we do all of it on six acres in Beaufort, Missouri — where the classroom extends into the garden, the chicken coop, the blueberry bushes, and the wide open land that reminds us daily that we are part of something much larger than ourselves.
You've Found Your People
If something about this resonates with you — if you've been looking for an educator who sees your child the way you see your child — we'd love to meet your family.
The next step is simple.
Fill out our short inquiry form and Kari will be personally in touch — usually within 24 hours.