Students enjoy living room style classrooms at Port Richey Catholic school

PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Did any of your classrooms growing up resemble your living room at home? Probably not, but it’s a concept Bishop Larkin Catholic School in Port Richey is taking on, and the principal says it’s actually helping students academically.

It’s sort of like math class around the kitchen table, and all of the classrooms at Bishop Larkin Catholic School include couches, comfortable spaces and creative décor.

“We want children parents, teachers, everyone to feel welcome here, and when we think about where we all likely feel the most valued, or the most welcomed, it’s in our homes and at home, so we wanted to recreate that for our teachers and our students here in our classrooms,” said Bishop Larkin Catholic School Principal Stacy Cervone.

Cervone says while this is still a traditional Catholic school, these comfortable spaces have proven to be a great addition. “It’s amazing that you give the kid a couch to sit on with their book to read as opposed to sitting at their desk the whole time, it’s amazing, they are drawn to it.”

The school provides all of the furniture for the teachers, so they can make the space their own. By having an area that feels homey, Cervone says students also feel more comfortable.

“The teacher is always the authority, but that, you know, you’re here and I’m here, and I need to have the right answer, and I need to raise my hand, it kind of breaks that barrier down. There’s something about sitting right next to somebody on the same level as them and having the opportunity for your peers to be there also,” she said.

Considering many students spend more time at school than anywhere else, having this space gives them a home away from home. 

Cervone says many parents are pleasantly surprised when they see the classrooms at the school. At Bishop Larkin Catholic School, they also group the middle school classes into “houses” with their own flags, symbols and cheers. The school has children from age 3 all the way through eighth grade.