Frequently Asked Questions

What do students do all day?
There is no typical day at a Sudbury school. Students choose what they do and when. They play, have conversations, participate in committees and meetings, plan and attend classes, go off campus, go on field trips, make art and music, cook, read, research topics, and much more.

Why age mixing?
Age-mixing is integral to the Sudbury model. With age-mixing, students are given the opportunity to be mentor and mentee. We see Sudbury teenagers engaging in nurturing and playful behavior with our younger students, experiencing themselves as meaningful role models in a way that isn’t possible in conventional, age-divided schools. We see younger students experiencing what child development researchers call the “Zone of Proximal Development,” where students are interacting with knowledge, skills, and development levels that are close enough to their own to feel approachable and desirable to them, while encouraging their internal drive to grow in order to play with older kids.

Are there any rules?
Saint Louis Sudbury has many rules which could be summarized by the following: In this community which strives to be a place of both compassion and accountability, be respectful, responsible and reasonable to yourself, each other, and your surroundings. All rules have been voted on by School Meeting and apply to everyone, adults included.

How are rules made?
Rules are created by School Meeting members and voted on democratically before being added to the Rule Book.

What is School Meeting?
Sudbury schools truly belong to the students and staff. Three times a week, students and staff are invited to attend the School Meeting, where all big and small decisions are made collaboratively. This includes proposing and planning field trips, adjusting and approving the school budget, creating and amending school rules, approving volunteers, making recommendations to the Board of Directors, proposing possible guest instructors and classes, and more. This is where students learn what it takes to listen, consider the needs of their school’s community, be informed, ask questions, advocate for causes, negotiate, and balance personal responsibility with that of others. Every person, regardless of age, gets one vote.

What is Judicial Committee and how does it work?
The Judicial Committee (JC) is made up of students – one who has been elected as JC Chair and one who is selected as Jury – and a staff member who has been elected as Co-Chair. Additionally, the elected Mediator works with JC to address various interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts as they arise. Complaints (also called “write-ups”) are made when something has happened that might be a violation of the rules. The complaint is investigated and the committee decides a verdict after speaking with Complainant, Defendant, and Witness(es). Based on their findings, Judicial Committee may choose to issue a consequence. Any School Meeting member (including students) can write up anyone else, (including volunteers) if they suspect a rule has been broken. Judicial Committee takes a non-punitive approach, sticking to natural and logical consequences related to the infraction, and emphasizing the need to address root issues over simple behavior modification. Main tenets of our judicial system include direct accountability, seeking healing where hurt has occurred, and empowering community members to prevent further harms.

Does the school serve lunch?
We do not provide meals. Students bring their own lunches and snacks, and are able to eat whenever they’re hungry. They are responsible for preparing food and cleaning up after themselves, and staff, volunteers, and students are happy to teach these skills if people want to learn! Students often vote to spend money from their School Meeting budget to prepare family-style meals or buy snacks for the school. We share the building’s commercial kitchen with the artists and a separate after-school program at Intersect Arts Center, so cleaning up from cooking is a skill that is practiced before students are set free in the kitchen. Food preparation and eating is not rushed at Saint Louis Sudbury School—it is celebrated! Literacy, math, logic, chemistry, nutrition, cultural competency, interpersonal skills, and respect for shared space can all be practiced during solo or group food preparation.

How will Sudbury students learn anything?
Sudbury students learn by living. They can and do request and plan formal educational experiences whenever they would like, but much of their learning happens by helping to run the school, pursuing their interests, and interacting with others.

Can you bring things from home to school?
Absolutely.

Is there a part-time option?
Saint Louis Sudbury School does offer part-time enrollment. Part-time students come to school 3 days a week on a consistent schedule.

What are the attendance requirements?
We are open from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Students are required to spend at least 5 hours at school during those hours. Students can arrive any time between 8:30 am and 10:30 am.

What do staff and volunteers do if they don’t teach all the time?
Staff and volunteers help support the social-emotional growth of students; model clear communication, collaboration, and interest in the world around them; participate in administrative responsibilities that keep the school running—often in partnership with student committees; offer opportunities for students to reflect on their decisions as they engage in the democratic process at Sudbury; share their talents and interests in a teaching role when requested by students; and much more.

How does a Sudbury school handle bullying?
Bullying is handled through our Judicial Committee. If a student bullies someone, they have broken a rule. A community member would then file a complaint about the incident through our judicial system. Our judicial system is not punitive, therefore the student would receive a natural or logical consequence and/or a mediation with the Mediator.

Sudbury communities typically experience much less bullying than in other types of schools, because power imbalances do not exist in the same way. In a conventional school, victims of bullying rely on an adult authority to intervene effectively. In a Sudbury school, all students, staff, and volunteers have equal authority to enforce the rules via the Judicial Committee, deciding consequences and adjusting rules democratically.

Furthermore, age-mixing mitigates bullying by eliminating the highly competitive culture of conventional schools. No student is institutionally compared to another in a Sudbury school. The presence of younger students inspires compassion and protectiveness in older students, and the presence of older students inspires greater emotional maturity in younger students. The outcome is a notably empathetic, inclusive school community.

Can a student spend time off campus during the school day?
Students are welcome to go off campus to visit local businesses, restaurants, and parks, as well as in pursuit of jobs, internships, extracurriculars, or volunteer opportunities. All off-campus excursions during the school day count as school hours. In order to go off-campus, students are required to get certified through the Safety Committee (run primarily by students). This certification has multiple levels, ranging from authorization to go outside on campus alone, to authorization to leave campus on foot, by bicycle, or car either alone or in groups.

How do students graduate?
Saint Louis Sudbury School students have choices to wrap up their time at school in a way that makes sense for them. Options include a diploma or certificate as well as completing a post-secondary school readiness process (if they are interested). The diploma process includes a portfolio, a mutual aid project, and personal story. Full details here.

What if a student wants to go to college?
It is not uncommon for home school students to apply to college without a high school diploma, or transcripts, or both. Students with non-conventional education backgrounds tend to stand out among their peers and can be an advantage when applying to colleges. Education portfolios, essays, internships, and HiSET or GED tests are examples of other ways colleges may determine if a student demonstrates college readiness. Ultimately, students from non-conventional educational backgrounds have been using creative solutions to apply to colleges for decades. At a Sudbury school, a student has the time and freedom to research the colleges and universities they are most interested in attending whenever they choose. Knowing the admission requirements of the schools they’re interested in can help them tailor their own experience accordingly.

What do Sudbury students do after they graduate?
Nearly 60 years of Sudbury education have shown that Sudbury students leave school with the skills and knowledge necessary to follow their chosen path. No two paths are the same. Sudbury schools do not have a specific academic curriculum. We believe, and have witnessed, that children learn traditional academics when they are ready for them. While Saint Louis Sudbury School is too young to have seen what graduates go on to do, we have dozens of other Sudbury schools to look to. Kids who leave Sudbury schools are usually extremely well-prepared for a variety of choices in life. Students are motivated to succeed at what they want to do next. If, for example, a student wants to go to a college for which SAT scores are important (which certainly is not every college) then they apply themselves to learning how to do well on the SATs. Students who are self-directed learners have the advantage of having spent their time building self-confidence, initiative, perseverance, and intrinsic motivation around their interests versus measuring their success by those around them and potentially losing their love of learning. Graduates may go on to a wide range of careers. The outstanding characteristic Sudbury model students all share is seeking a life that has meaning for them and choosing work that they enjoy and perform well.

What are the steps to becoming a student?
We ask that families and students learn about Sudbury model schools and Self-Directed Education and then schedule a tour of our school. If both the family and Saint Louis Sudbury School feel like we might be a good fit for each other, a student is invited to experience the school in action for one week. The Visiting Week is $175/child. This payment will be applied as a credit toward the tuition fee should a student enroll. At the end of the Visiting Week, a meeting takes place with the student, family, and Sudbury staff to determine whether all are comfortable with enrolling. A second visiting week may be scheduled if appropriate. To enroll, an Enrollment Interview is scheduled and the contract is signed. Students who join us during the school year have prorated tuition. Each enrollment contract begins with a one-month practice period with check-in meetings after two weeks and after four weeks to make sure that there is a good fit among the student, the school, and the family.

What kind of financial assistance is available?
We offer tuition assistance based on a sliding scale. To apply, contact enroll@stlsudbury.org for more details. Saint Louis Sudbury School strives to be affordable to families of all income levels through our Tuition Assistance program. Tuition Assistance is based on household income. Tuition Assistance is reevaluated on an annual basis by the Tuition Assistance Committee.

What is Intersect Arts Center?
Saint Louis Sudbury School is housed on the second floor of Intersect Arts Center, a creative community dedicated to increasing access to the arts in the Gravois Park and Dutchtown neighborhoods. Intersect has 23 private art studios, maker spaces (ceramics, woodshop, dance studio, recording studio, and more), education programs for kids, teens, and adults, and gallery spaces that host 4-8 exhibitions a year with an emphasis on building new arts audiences and supporting emerging artists and artist-curators.

Do you have before or after care?
At this point in time, we do not.

Are there plans for accepting kids younger than 5?
Not at this time.

How does Sudbury compare to Montessori?
Both Sudbury and Montessori recognize children as naturally curious and capable of making decisions about their own interests. However, Montessori teachers present options and activities to learners, whereas a Sudbury community has no teacher-student dichotomy.

How does Sudbury compare to Waldorf?
Both models understand that play is learning, and both prioritize children’s happiness and emotional well-being. Sudbury schools uniquely incorporate the democratic process to empower students in creating their community as well as their learning path. Waldorf schools have a predetermined curriculum and an imposed set of values.

How does Sudbury compare to Forest School?
Both Sudbury and Forest School programs focus on the sense of efficacy and confidence that comes from novel life experience, and both understand children as competent equals. Forest School practitioners, unlike Sudbury staff members, facilitate programs to address specific goals for the group. While Sudbury students may choose to spend significant amounts of time outdoors, the school also involves indoor activity, in contrast to Forest Schools.

How does Sudbury compare to unschooling / homeschooling?
Both approaches agree that children learn best by experiencing life. Sudbury most resembles the type of homeschooling called “unschooling,” which puts the responsibility on the child to seek out learning opportunities. A Sudbury school offers a diverse community of learners outside of the home to enrich the experience of unschooling families and further empower young people. 

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