Call Book a visit

The rooms

What each room is like

Children stay in a room for three years, learn beside older and younger classmates, and move up with their guide's help.

01
Lower elementary
Ages 6 to 9, grades 1 to 3
Skills
- Reading and writing, each child at their own pace
- Math with beads, boards and cubes a child can hold
- Stories of how the earth, living things and people came to be
- Cooking and gardening in small groups
Moving up
A child moves to the upper room when the guides and the family agree it is time, after visiting the room and meeting its guides.
02
Upper elementary
Ages 9 to 12, grades 4 to 6
Skills
- Research that starts from a child's own question
- Fractions, geometry and first algebra, worked with materials
- Long writing: reports, stories and letters
- Small seminars and a weekly class meeting
Moving up
Older children lead lessons for younger ones. Moving to the middle school room is planned with the family, with visits first.
03
Middle school
Ages 12 to 14, grades 7 and 8
Skills
- Work on the land: a garden, a greenhouse and the compost
- A service morning each week in Sheboygan
- Essays, lab notebooks and one long project each term
- Class meetings where students help make school decisions
Moving up
Grade 8 ends with a presentation before families, and the school talks with each family about the next school.

Where to startAsk which room fits your child

Sample levels.

Classes

Classes by grade and by hour

Every room keeps the same school day. Extended day and early arrival are by sign-up.

Lower elementary
Grades 1 to 3
Class size: 28
A three-hour work cycle every morning.
- School day8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · 5 daysOffered
- Extended day3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. · 5 daysSnack and outdoor timeOffered
- Early arrival7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. · 5 daysOffered
Upper elementary
Grades 4 to 6
Class size: 28
Group lessons in the morning, projects after lunch.
- School day8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · 5 daysOffered
- Extended day3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. · 5 daysA quiet work room and outdoor timeOffered
- Early arrival7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. · 5 daysOffered
Middle school
Grades 7 and 8
Class size: 24
One morning a week is spent on the land and in the community.
- School day8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · 5 daysOffered
- Extended day3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. · 5 daysA study room until 4:30 p.m.Offered

Fees and what each is for

Application: Covers reading the application and the visit with the child. Due when a family applies.
Enrollment: Holds a place after an offer is accepted, and goes toward tuition.
Materials and supplies: The work materials, art supplies and books for the year, ordered by the school.
Extended day and early arrival: Billed by the month for the days a family uses.
Field trips: A few day trips in the year, billed when a family signs the permission slip.

How tuition and aid work

Sample programs.

What children work on

Six areas, in every room

Children meet each area through lessons from a guide, then practice it with materials they choose. The guides show you the work at a visit.

Language
Reading aloud, spelling, grammar with colored symbols, and long writing, from letters home to reports.
Math and geometry
Beads, boards and cubes that show why an answer is right, then fractions, area and first algebra.
Science and the land
A garden, a greenhouse and a compost bin, with lab notebooks that older children keep.
People and places
Maps, timelines and the story of how people came to live as they do, told in a series of lessons.
Art and music
Drawing, clay and singing each week, and a studio room open in the afternoon.
Practical life
Cooking, sewing, caring for the room and planning a meal for the class.

See a room at work

Visit days are a morning in a room, with a guide beside you.