The Clearwater School

Clearwater school offers our daughter freedom to explore what she most wants to learn, express herself authentically and learn responsibility. Very satisfied with our choice!

My son has been a student since 2010. He loves it, we love it. I really feel he is more prepared for adult life due to his experiences here. Not only does he truly know what interests him, he knows how to self motivate and pursue those interests.

My son loves Clearwater School!

...and so do I. Self directed, Democratic Freeschooling is so great for us. We are so happy to have found a place where kids learn to think, act, and function for themselves all the while learning how to interact effectively with others. We moved from quite a ways away - from an Island paradise - in order to send our son here. If your interest is peaked, please learn more about Sudbury model and Democratic Freeschooling!

The further I go in life, the more importance I place in self-determination, self-motivation, and self-advocacy. These are all significant aspects of a Clearwater School education, and are for the most part lacking in most educational systems.

One thing that sets Clearwater apart from other schools is that the kids are in charge of their own time. While they have community obligations (including participating in daily cleanup and creating and upholding school rules), their primary obligation is to discover and pursue their own interests.

My son graduated from Clearwater last spring, after spending his entire K-12 education there. In his diploma presentation (defense of the thesis that they are prepared to assume adult responsibilities is required of all graduates), he discussed the importance of performing arts — primarily electric bass and acting — has been in his life. Listening to him, I discovered new things about him and was able to clearly see the value of his personal exploration.

My daughter has been at Clearwater for 10 years. She's discovered a passion for art and live-action role play that is completely engaging and fulfilling.

This June, my nephew will graduate, and if it were up to me (it is not; the students and staff vote) I'd grant him a diploma, as his leadership in the governance, public relations, and creation of a theater program have been essential to the school.

Watching these three kids grow and develop over the years (along with many classmates I've known since they were born), I've been amazed by what they are capable of doing and understanding, discovering and creating — all of which has emerged from a "curriculum" that evolved directly from the center of who they are.

My son is 5, and is in his second year at Clearwater. He is happy. I’d done a lot of reading starting with “Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength”, “Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined”, and “Free to Learn” by Peter Gray. From there I started digging into Sudbury Valley School and democratic schooling. I read a number of the Sudbury books, watched a lot of You Tube about different Sudbury schools, and watched the BBC movie about Summer Hill School.

I repeat that my son is happy. He goes to school and plays. He learned that being among the youngest and smallest at the school equated being treated with equal respect as everyone else there. He learned that he could stand up for himself and be heard. He requests that we change rules at home, because that’s something that is done at school. I’ve seen him say comforting words to a ten year old who was describing some conflict he was having. I’ve seen older kids check in with him because he was having a hard time. It is part of the culture at the school and it makes me feel good about the atmosphere that he spends his day in.

My son is learning to respect himself and others through the practice of managing himself in the context of a broader community that has as its core, the rule that “no one may infringe upon the rights of others”. I want him to discover that part of himself that is going to carry him through his life and make him successful, as he defines that success.