Real Learning for Real Life

Alpine Valley School is open to in-person learning! Learn more about our pandemic measures.

Alpine Valley School

You Are Enough

There is no such thing as a problem child. If children do not thrive in the mainstream school system, it is because the system is the problem, not the child.

At Alpine Valley School, we offer an alternative.

We believe in letting kids be kids. We know that they are designed by nature to…

  • Move

  • Play

  • Explore

  • Learn

Alpine Valley School is a self-directed democratic school, which means that we are modeled after the real world, and allows students to practice making decisions for themselves every day.

What could school look like for your child?

Featured
Democracy
Democracy

Everyone, no matter their age, has equal vote on everything that affects the school.

Justice
Justice

Your child helps create and enforce the school rules

Self-Directed Learning
Self-Directed Learning

Your child directs their own learning, with assistance and resources provided on request

Friendship
Friendship

Students aged 5 to 19 interact freely

Play
Play

Learning occurs informally through collaboration with other students

Responsibility
Responsibility

Your child can form clubs and hold official positions in school government

 

Founded in 1997, Alpine Valley School is an independent school following a self-directed democratic education model often referred to as the “Sudbury” model.

At Alpine Valley School, we offer a low student-to-staff ratio and flexible attendance. Our students come from all over the Denver Metro area and range in age from 5 to 18.

Alpine Valley School is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and is conveniently located in Wheat Ridge, one mile off the Kipling exit on Interstate 70.

 

Testimonials

 
 
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Yetter Family

“We started our son in kindergarten in the traditional school system. By the end of the year, we had serious concerns about where his education was heading and how it was being conducted. We started looking for a better way and found Alpine Valley. Alpine Valley treats him like a person, not a test score.”

 

Carpenter Family

“Driving my daughter home from school one day we talked about what she did and who she played with. At one point she mentioned that she wrote up a classmate trying to tell her what to do and she said she wrote them up because 'I am not a puppet, I am a person.' And that sentiment sums up the bulk of what Alpine Valley School gives our child; choice, self-advocacy and empowerment. There are many, many reasons why we chose AVS but they all root back to that idea of trusting your child and their education up to their discretion. We are so thankful to our school community and would be lost without them.”

 
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Curtis Family

“In light of our current political and social climate, we have greatly appreciated the practical education our son is receiving as a member of Alpine Valley School. Every day, he is engaging in and developing skills necessary to be a contributing member of society, to include government and social responsibility. He asked "Dad, is America really free?" In his time at Alpine, he's come to understand what it means to be free under the law. He's embraced the responsibility of governing himself within the bounds of the social contract as well as contributing in the judicial system. This, for our family, is priceless... and a refreshing paradigm shift from traditional education.”

Podcast: 

On our podcast, Alpine Valley School alumni share their stories from their childhoods at our self-directed school and talk about their chosen careers after graduation.

Newsletter:

 
WEEK IN REVIEW - This week we played in the snow, had a Holiday party planning meeting, shared some lunchtime soup, worked on arts and crafts, chilled on the couch, played a large group computer game, and much more! (2/2)
WEEK IN REVIEW - This week we played in the snow, had a Holiday party planning meeting, shared some lunchtime soup, worked on arts and crafts, chilled on the couch, played a large group computer game, and much more! (1/2)
ONE WEEK LEFT until Colorado Gives Day, Alpine Valley School's biggest (and only) fundraiser for the year. There's still plenty of time left to schedule your donation of any amount and help keep our little school going strong. Set up your donation TO
WEEK IN REVIEW - This week we participated in School Meeting 💬, played Bingo, did some chores 🧹, frolicked in the snow ❄️, made some art 🖼️, played video games 🎮, and played Limbo in the Theater! #selfeducation #selfdirectededucation #selfdirect
We had an AMAZING, fun, and balloon-filled Community Dinner last night at a local Mexican Restaurant. We more or less took over the entire place and enjoyed wonderful food and being with our outstanding community for a few extra hours on a Friday. Th
WEEK IN REVIEW – This week we had a spirited debate about which internet cat was superior 💬, played basketball 🏀, rode hoverboards, played toy games 🪀, taught friends how to play a new game in Roblox, crafted DIY costumes ✂️, rolled up D&amp
It's been an AMAZING Halloween day, with musical chairs, Werewolf game, and an Among Us piñata, all organized and executed by the students! We have also had a delicious potluck lunch and boy are we stuffed!
WEEK IN REVIEW - This week we played a big group game in the Theater 🚧, made some costumes 👻, continued work on our Halloween pinata 🍬, did some sewing projects 🧵, practiced Spanish, and played outside ☁️ (while we still can!)
WEEK IN REVIEW - This week we made our own tea-flavored salt crystals 🧂, built some forts 🧱, made some ceramics 🎨, laughed at some memes 🐱, and had some lively and productive discussions as a community!
WEEK IN REVIEW - This week we played outside 🍂 (enjoying the last of the warm weather!), worked on some art projects 🎨, crafted Dungeons and Dragons characters ⚔️, and much more!
WEEK IN REVIEW - This week we had some eventful games of tag 🏃, decorated even MORE dino masks 🖌️, held a trial (for a defendent that pled innocent in Judicial Committee) 📓, started work on a Halloween pinata 🍬, and played outside ☀️!
WEEK IN REVIEW - This has been a busy week! Among the many activities we did this week there was...croissant-baking, cardboard-shield-making, virtual-reality-game-playing, dungeon-exploring, pool-playing and dino-mask-crafting!

Enrolling your child at Alpine Valley School is a simple two-step process:

1. Visit. Come and see Alpine Valley School for yourself by booking a private tour of our campus with one of our staff members. We encourage prospective students to attend the tour along with their parents and to come prepared with questions of their own!

2. Enrollment. Schedule an Admissions Interview for your family. During this meeting, the Registrar will answer all of your questions and work with your family to ensure that our school is a good fit before finalizing the enrollment.

Limited Enrollment

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alpine Valley School is capping enrollment for the current school year. At this time, we only have a few open spots for new students. To temporarily hold a spot for your prospective student(s), set up a private tour for your family.

 

Ready to find out more? Book a private tour for your family!