Imagine a day at school without a strict bell schedule, assigned seating, mandated textbook reading, or classrooms that confine students by age. For younger kids, minimizing limitations can empower them to be independent and develop leadership qualities early on.
Inspired by the original Sudbury model school founded in 1968 in Framingham, Massachusetts, a small group of adults and young people ages 5–18 at Saint Louis Sudbury School embrace self-directed education. Its community operates democratically, with rules upheld by school administrators or “staff.”
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“We see students as leaders right now…. We treat young people today as fully capable humans with a voice,” says staff member Jennifer Lin. “They have to be responsible for their actions and their behaviors, and they have to figure out how to work and how to be free within a community.”
Meetings, held three times per week, allow for collaborative decision-making about the school budget, rules, field trips, possible guest instructors or classes, and more. Everyone, no matter their age, has one vote. Students lead meetings, join committees, and practice public speaking. Lin says this teaches even the youngest participants to engage because the results will be worthwhile. “They’ll do the work that it takes to be in that meeting, to get support from friends, to persuade, to debate, whatever—because it’s meaningful to them,” she explains.
Sudbury is somewhat akin to the Montessori approach; both honor young people’s natural curiosity, encourage mingling between age groups, and prioritize holistic development. Sudbury’s website summarizes the difference as, “Montessori teachers present options and activities to learners, whereas a Sudbury community has no teacher-student dichotomy.”
Kirkwood Children’s House offers Montessori academics with a focus on leadership in kindergarten, or at ages 5 and 6. “The Year of Leadership is a full-day program in which children participate in morning Montessori work time with their younger peers and then join a small, specialized group in the afternoon,” its website explains, noting that students work individually. “The children experience the honor of being among the oldest in our program and graduate from our school with a very strong sense of self and desire to better the world around them through helping others.”
A “micro-school” with fewer than 50 students, St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Eureka also emphasizes personal development and interaction between grade levels. During the 2024–2025 school year, teachers implemented an inquiry-based learning model that moves away from traditional lecture-based school days. In kindergarten through second grade, students now learn math and reading through play-based lessons, and in third grade they transition to independent online learning with some hands-on activities. “They take ownership of their own learning,” says principal Megan Deines. “Teachers guide them into personal goal-setting and tracking their own progress.”
Students who need more time to grasp certain concepts are less likely to feel behind when they’re able to discuss their individual goals and timeline with a teacher. “By allowing them to have more choice in their learning, it’s allowing them to think a bit deeper and become more of a problem solver,” Deines adds.
Students are given standards to meet, Deines explains, without a strict rubric for when and how everything must be done: “We’re working to make these students ready for the real world.”
