What brings you here today?

+ My child is struggling in mainstream education and I'm looking for something different.

We hear you. The first thing to understand is that the system is failing your child - not the other way around. Your child is a unique individual, a free-spirit, a genius in their own right, and you may be seeking an environment to bring out the best in them. For the past twenty-two years, Alpine Valley School has been exactly that place for generations of young people. We hope to be a sanctuary for your family as well. There are a lot of resources on this site, and we encourage you to take them all in and see if anything strikes a chord. If you want a suggestion of where to start, I'd suggest this page, which outlines the basics of our philosophy: Self-Directed Education 101.

+ I have a young child and am looking for an alternative school.

Thanks for checking us out. We enroll students as young as five years old and allow them the same freedom as all other students in our program. We also have a flexible attendence policy specifically for students under the age of seven (they can attend part-time, and basically on whatever schedule you prefer). If you'd like to find out more, we suggest that you and your child(ren) join us for an Open House to come and see for yourselves.

+ I hated school and I don't want to put my child through the same ordeal.

Welcome - you're in good company. Our school was originally founded by two public school teachers who, upon the birth of their first child, looked around and decided they needed something else. At Alpine Valley School you will find no desks, no structured classes, no homework. Students pursue their interests freely and with limited interruptions. They are free to interact with whoever they want, whenever they want. They play, they learn, they dance, they play music, they do equations, all while learning what it means to exist in a diverse society with a well-established system of law and order.

+ I'm concerned about my child's rising stress level.

We understand. Many families enrolled at Alpine Valley School largely because we take the pressure off of childhood. Children at our school are free to play, to pursue their interests, and to relax. There are no mountains of homework, no standardized testing, no grades. Students decide for themselves what the standards are, and if they are meeting them or not. And we have seen generations of people thrive in that environment. If you want to hear graduate's stories in their own words, we reccomend that you check out our Podcast Interviews.

+ I'm a current (or former) educator who is interested in finding out more about self-directed learning.

Thanks for being here. We love visiting with other educators, and welcome you to join us for an Open House, which we host several times a year. We'd also suggest checking out our podcast, which has many interviews with graduates of our program, and other educators who've started schools like ours in their area.

+ I believe deeply in individual liberty and I'm interested to see how you apply this principle to children.

The Sudbury Model is rooted in the American values of liberty, governance, democracy, community, and responsibility. There's a lot of good information out there on why we run things the way we do, but we'd suggest starting with this book, by Sudbury Valley School founder Daniel Greenberg.

+ We're an unschooling/homeschooling family looking for a place to build community.

Thanks for checking us out. Firstly, it's good to be clear about what we do - Alpine Valley School is a full-time private school that requires regular attendance. We are not a homeschool drop-in center. That said, our core values are very much aligned with unschooling, and we may be a very good fit if you are looking for a school. We'd suggest starting with our blog posts, to see if any of those resonate with you, and then joining us for an Open House.

+ Something else...

Welcome - have a good wander around our site, we bet you'll find something that interests you. If not, contact us and we'll be happy to answer any questions you have. If you'd like to meet one-on-one with a staff member and get your questions answered, we reccomend you schedule a Tour.