Boni discipuli magistris parent, quia disciplina et mos in schola utiles sunt.

Because pareo (to obey) takes the dative case in Latin.

So Latin says:

• magistris parent = they obey the teachers

Even though English uses a direct object after obey, Latin treats the person obeyed as an indirect object.

So:

• magister = teacher
• magistris = to/for the teachers in form, but with pareo it is best translated simply as the teachers

This is something English speakers often have to memorize: some Latin verbs take the dative where English would not.

Parent is:

• 3rd person plural
• present tense
• active voice
• from pareo, parere = to obey

So parent means:

• they obey
• or are obeying

Its subject is boni discipuli (good students).

Boni is the nominative plural masculine form of bonus (good).

It agrees with discipuli, which is also nominative plural masculine.

So:

• bonus discipulus = a good student
• boni discipuli = good students

The adjective has to match the noun in gender, number, and case.

By itself, discipuli could be:

• nominative plural = students
• or genitive singular = of the student

But in this sentence it must be nominative plural, because:

• boni matches it as a plural adjective
• parent is a plural verb
• the phrase clearly works as the subject: good students obey...

So here boni discipuli = good students.

Because the subject is two things together:

• disciplina
• mos

When two singular nouns are joined by et (and), they normally make a plural subject.

So Latin uses:

• utiles = useful (plural)
• sunt = are (plural)

That is why the sentence says:

• disciplina et mos ... utiles sunt
• discipline and proper conduct/custom are useful

Mos is a very important Latin word, and it can be hard to translate with just one English word.

Common meanings include:

• custom
• habit
• conduct
• moral practice
• proper behavior

In this sentence, mos probably means something like:

• good behavior
• proper conduct
• good habits
• or respect for accepted behavior

So disciplina et mos is not just rules and customs in a dry sense. It suggests something like discipline and proper behavior.

Because in with the ablative usually means in or on in the sense of location.

So:

• in schola = in school / in the school

Compare:

• in + ablative = location, in
• in + accusative = motion into, into

Examples:

• in schola est = he/she is in school
• in scholam intrat = he/she enters into the school

Here the meaning is location, so schola is ablative.

Latin word order is much more flexible than English word order.

So utiles sunt and sunt utiles both make grammatical sense. Latin often places the verb:

• near the end
• or at the end

That can make the sentence feel balanced or natural to a Roman reader.

In this sentence, the order:

• disciplina et mos in schola utiles sunt puts the idea useful just before are, which sounds very natural in Latin.

Latin has no articles.

So a noun like discipuli can mean:

• students
• the students
• sometimes even some students

The exact meaning depends on context.

Likewise:

• magistris can mean teachers or the teachers
• in schola can mean in school or in the school

English requires articles much more often than Latin does.

Quia means because, and it commonly introduces a factual explanation.

So Latin normally uses the indicative after it:

• quia ... utiles sunt = because ... are useful

This is straightforward statement-of-fact grammar.

Not exactly. It is related, but Latin disciplina can be broader.

It can mean:

• training
• instruction
• education
• discipline

In this sentence, it probably includes both:

• orderly behavior
• and the training/structure that helps students learn

So disciplina is not only punishment or strictness. It often has the sense of structured learning and self-control.

The sentence has two main parts:

1. Boni discipuli magistris parent

   • Good students obey teachers

2. quia disciplina et mos in schola utiles sunt

   • because discipline and proper behavior are useful in school

So the structure is:

• main clause
• plus a quia clause giving the reason

This is a very common Latin pattern:

• statement + quia
  • explanation

Yes, often it can.

For example, these would still mean roughly the same thing:

• Discipuli boni magistris parent
• Magistris boni discipuli parent
• Quia disciplina et mos utiles sunt in schola

But changing the order can change:

• emphasis
• rhythm
• what sounds most natural

Latin uses endings, not word order alone, to show grammatical relationships. That is why it allows more freedom than English.