Children flourish here, where they learn the most important skills of all: autonomy, accountability, and how to be themselves in a world that would prefer for them to be quiet and to sit still. read more

I am a former student of SVS and unfortunately I cannot be proud of this affiliation. During the years I attended and afterward I witnessed some blatant hypocrisy and violations of the school's stated philosophy, including by some of the most seasoned staff members. The claim is that decisions are to be made by the entire community via School Meeting, but the staff do in fact gatekeep and manage to exclude any ideas or proposals that they don't like without any discussion whatsoever. I personally have known quite a few people who were burned by the heavy-handed controlling efforts of certain staff members. Make no mistake: SVS is NOT a democratic school; it merely masquerades as one. If the founders don't like your idea (or don't like you), it won't be up for a vote; it'll be squashed preemptively. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with a school where students aren't in charge. But it shouldn't pretend to be what it's not. read more

Boy, am I glad we're here! This is the original Sudbury model school, and the largest in the world. Each Sudbury school uses a self-governing process, many following a town-meeting model and starting with a basic set of rules determined by its school community. I helped start another Sudbury school and have visited many more. Among truly democratic educational options in west metro Boston, this is by far the best. We are just so darned lucky to have our son at SVS. I'm very grateful they are fighting the good fight and providing Massachusetts with a fantastic, authentic, self-directed educational choice. During my years teaching and before that studying K12 education, I discovered that many models began with excellent theories of students' free exploration. In this way, some models seem similar to the Sudbury movement. But the implementation of most other models against the backdrop of our current public system urges a kind of subliminal compliance when educators attempt to implement something different. For those bold enough to trust both the Sudbury Valley School and their own children, the reward will be amazingly self-aware, happy young adults when their kids are grown. Its with a fondness and joy that I follow the lives of my former students, now starting their own families, passionately involved in innovative careers, and following their hearts by living according to their own preferences. They don't simply make a living. They know deeply who they are; they adore expressing themselves fully with and in their lives. It's like watching live performance art over decades. What an amazing gift to give our next generation! I can't wait to continue witnessing my child blossom into the fullness of his being here at Sudbury Valley. read more

Our 3 children have been at SVS for 6 years and we couldn't be happier. They are happy, confident, eager to learn, entrepreneurial. They are respected at school and feel a part of this great community. They can't wait for breaks or weekends to be over and they like to stay at school as long as possible. Infringement on the rights of others is not tolerated at SVS and even the slightest bullying is dealt with in the daily Judicial Committee. Our oldest daughter spent many months as J.C. Clerk and bullying was considered among the most serious infractions. It is not a culture where bullying can thrive or even exist for long. For us it was a leap of faith to move across country to attend the school but we have not regretted it and can't imagine having our kids go to any other school. read more

I love SVS. My 13 y.o. son reads, researches, argues a point with evidence, builds, plays music, notices changes in the nature around him, interacts in deep and meaningful ways with peers, creates art, makes films, makes costumes, creates games, practices intently, and masters a variety of skills. The school has a fantastic set of rules that guide the community, they are rules that are meaningful to the group, and everyone if responsible for enforcing and following the rules... it's lovely and balanced. My son is confident, polite, well- spoken, intellectually curious... I am so glad he gets to live out his youth at this amazing school, with this talented staff. read more

We tried to like it. Before my wife passed away she home schooled my older two boys. I thought this would be as close to homeschooling/un-schooling as possible. The tour was awesome - met some very bright kids that thrived. In the end though, I had to take my eldest out of the school. Continual bullying by 14 year old kids (targeted at an 8 year old boy who lost his mom, no less). Judicial committee suspended them, but the kid convinced my son that he will get in big trouble if continued to write the kid up (e.g. report the bullying). In between the 5 hours of daily minecraft, my son was exposed to kids watching horror flicks (Saw, based on what he said). Not the vision I walked away with after the tour. When asking the staff for help on learning how to read or with basic math, the immediate response was "who told you to ask about reading/math? Was it your dad or nanny?" After repeatedly answering "no" and that he really wanted to learn, he was told to "ask again in a week". If he still showed interest they would spend time with him. They spent a lot of time telling him the evils of public school. Just wish they focused on actual learning instead of their anti-school messaging. I think the school may work for some people - we met some smart seniors who cared. Reality did not match up with the poetic waxing you'll find in their many books. There was a similar,negative review, that mirrored our experience - but it seems to have disappeared. Wish I saw it before spending the money and exposing my son to the environment. It has left long lasting marks that we are still trying to undo. read more

My two children, ages 4 and 6, started at SVS in September 2014. The reason I put them in this school is that 15 years ago, it transformed my brother from a miserable, angry high school drop-out to a happy, confident, successful honors college graduate. Yes, he spent the first six months making bracelets. But after that, he realized it was all up to HIM - he had to take responsibility for his own education and future. So for the next two years, he worked through a series of college textbooks, with help from staff, figured out what college he wanted to attend, got accepted, created his own dual degree in Biology and Education, and graduated with honors. Now he is a teacher himself, and he is also extremely happy and productive. My children initially experienced great benefits from being at this school. At their old school, which was a very good school - small, private, non-profit with an emphasis on hands-on, experiential, theme-based learning and an empowering, nurturing community - they were fine. But even there, they did not get enough time outside, they were often forced to endure collective punishment (where the whole class is denied recess because of a few rowdy kids), and they always had to work on whatever the teacher directed. Thus, my oldest child went from absolutely LOVING math - she had spent weeks tearing through math workbooks, spent hours every night learning math far above what they were doing in class - to deciding she didn't like math, because the teacher was always forcing her to do it when she wanted to be doing something else. Studies show that students who are taught math every year from first through sixth grade do no better, and sometimes worse, than students who receive one year of math education in sixth grade. At first, at SVS, my children thought they were free to learn what they chose to learn, and their innate love of learning resurfaced. Instead of having to force them to do homework at night, they voluntarily did hours and hours of homework every night. They don't think of it as homework. They taught themselves to read by writing letters to their cousins. They learned math by counting days on the calendar until holidays, or planning their allowance purchases. They came up with every imaginable kind of creative project - science projects about dinosaurs, gardening, outer space, the sea, wilderness skills; carpentry projects; elaborate physics projects with balls and swings and slides; Baking and cooking projects are teaching them fractions and chemistry; they asked for books about historical figures and ethical issues, write stories, act out plays, make up songs to sing and play on the piano - their desire to sit and watch TV was far lower than it had ever been. Also, they became much stronger - the six year old went to the park and competed in some informal races. She won every race, even against boys who were two years older than she. Today's children have far less "core strength" than is considered healthy, because they sit all day. My children are strong and healthy; they move their bodies all day, except when they choose to sit and become absorbed in some sort of project. Yes, some kids will go through phases when they just want to play video games. Then they usually realize there is much more to life. Some staff at SVS are caring, compassionate, and incredibly conscientious about the safety and well being of students. Other staff are manipulative, deceitful, and shame students terribly. Some students are also very caring and conscientious - they look out for each other with great empathy. Other students are terrible bullies. Sometimes the school protected my little ones from bullies. Other times, it did not protect my children from bullies, and my children became terribly stressed by the relentless bullying and the staff denial. We left the school due to the repeated inability of the school to protect my young children and their friends from several vicious older bullies. There are 50 years worth of data to back up the success of self-directed education. And there are many options available now for models of self-directed learning. SVS had a great idea, and it used to be fantastic. Unfortunately, it has changed quite a bit and lost sight of its vision. Thus, many families have left the school in recent years-- not because they do not understand self-directed learning, but because they do. But this school still works well for some kids. I recommend it to anyone who is savvy enough to avoid criticizing the staff or the judicial system of the school, because that will not go over well. But if your child can handle bullies without help or support, does not want any mentoring or much interaction with staff, or keeps to herself/himself and never needs much, s/he might have a great experience here. read more

Our 3 children have been at SVS for 6 years and we couldn't be happier. They are happy, confident, eager to learn, entrepreneurial. They are respected at school and feel a part of this great community. They can't wait for breaks or weekends to be over and they like to stay at school as long as possible. Infringement on the rights of others is not tolerated at SVS and bullying is dealt with in the daily Judicial Committee. Our oldest daughter spent many months as J.C. Clerk and bullying was considered among the most serious infractions. Family and friends often ask me, "But how do they learn to read and write without being taught?"And it's amazing, but they have learned to read and write. Somehow it just happened! For us it was a leap of faith to move across country to attend the school but we have not regretted it and can't imagine having our kids go to any other school. Our kids have blossomed into strong and happy people! read more

A wonderful place that I credit with forming my ability to learn deeply. The phrase "learn how to learn" is kinda over-used, but it really applies here! They create a safe, happy environment -- somehow every kid has both safety and freedom at the same time. To their credit, they'll turn down students who would bring a disturbing or destructive influence -- even though it would mean that much more tuition/income. (Long story short: a close friend of mine has a truly crazy, sociopathic sister; SVS refused her admission. We (said friend and myself) remain very grateful for SVS's responsible and insightful judgement) I only wish I could travel back in time and spend another childhood there! read more

Located in an old stone mansion on 10 acres of land, the Sudbury Valley School is a wonderful, magical place full of free, happy, curious, imaginative students from age four to the late teens. Since 1968, it has been a free, democratic community where students are responsible for their own education from a very young age, and students participate in running the school. It really says something about the place that when my children first went to the school they would be disappointed every Saturday when they realized that it was the weekend and there was no school until Monday. Similarly most of the parents I know struggle to some degree with kids who go into mourning each summer when school ends for the year. Not exactly the typical experience of school. If you want to learn more about the Sudbury Valley School, I'd encourage you to check out the school's website: www.sudval.org There are also a number of very useful videos on YouTube, and the school holds several open houses each year for prospective students (and their parents) to meet students, staff, and parents. Although very, very different from most other schools in America, I highly recommend the Sudbury Valley School as a perfect education for 21st century students. read more

Update now I've slept on my review You cannot rate a place like SVS on a 1-5 scale. It's too dependent on who your child is. I should give SVS 5 stars for the first few months, which allowed (forced) my son to discover what HE wanted. I know of no other kind of education which does this, and it is not always comfortable or fun--in my son's case, he descended into boredom as far as he could go and realized no one was going to rescue him. I'm don't know how he would have realized he's the one who has to follow his own interests in the world, if he hadn't gone through this. That is really a UNIQUE gift. I don't know if he ever would have been able to go back to public school where he is now, (because he wants to be with his friends and learn what they learn), if he wasn't grounded in the knowledge that this is what HE wants and public school is the necessary, bearable "evil" to do that The experience after the first few months was 2 stars as SVS just didn't have the resources to help him make his way out of the boredom once he thought of what he wanted to do. If he had been into art or cooking he might have found others doing interesting things in these areas, or if SVS had more soccer players or kids similar to his public school friends. read more

Sudbury Valley is an incredible place to grow up and learn about democracy, people and the world. Its a great gift to the New England area... Both the staff and students have continued to create year after year this unique school and learning opportunity for the future generations. Hard to appreciate until after you have experienced it. I am a past student. I started when I was six, and graduated when I was sixteen. Since graduating in 2004 I have traveled to the other side of the world, been actively involved in many community organizations, political and in the metal and woodworking arts. learned many trades, Started two successful businesses and married someone I love, now residing in Seattle area. Sudbury enabled and empowered me to take responsibility for my own success and happiness and the success for others at a young age. Its model and approach for learning goes way beyond any other grade school in the New England area. I have visited many montasori, waldorf, free schools, and many other alternative based schools around the country and I have to say Sudbury is #1 in my book. I have many friends that went to Sudbury schools, and many that went to more traditional schools in the Boston area (private and public) the difference between the two are; 1.) The majority of both groups of friends attended "good" university's and have created interesting and important things with their adult lives. 2.) More of my Sudbury friends are happier, and look very fondly with huge nostalgic memories of their childhood and time at Sudbury and have generally a good relationship with their parents. 3.) More of my public school friends don't have a positive relationship with their parents and think of their childhood as "hell" or like they made it through without getting beat up and had a few good teachers... I would recommend it to everyone!!! School can be wonderful experience and for the people that fear trusting their child with choosing their own learning agenda, everyone I have met in my ten years in the Sudbury Schools learns the skills to attend University or be a successful adult. The one star sounds like a bitter parent or student stuck in some current school drama - In any organization or school, drama exists. If this person had any real connection or care they would help the school be better like the "elderly" staff she criticizes who have dedicated their lives to this school and who are adored by the majority of alumni and current students... Nothing is perfect, but Sudbury is the closest in educational models I've seen. read more

Not the place it once was. used to be full of dreams and wanting to involve the students on how to become their own people. Now it is a bunch of elderly staff affraid of their own mortalitly rather then the longevity of the school and the students..... read more