The Clearwater School

I really wanted to love this school. I love the concept and general ideas of independence behind how the school is wanting to function, but without realistic rules, it just becomes an environment where bullies thrive and neurodivergent children are left behind. I would also warn that if you are interested and wanting to do the trial period, 1 week might not be sufficient. Once you sign there tuition agreement if you withdraw, you'll lose out on a lot of money. This is called out in the agreement, but I figured I would point it out since they are very strict on this point. The way the current school is structured it works kind of like a daycare only the staff is very hands off. If you want any sort of oversight, this is not the school for your child. The oversight system requires the student to bring the issues formally to the staff. This is important to note since it is something that neurodivergent (especially autistic kids) can struggle with. This led to my child having multiple incidents within a short period of time including: * An older child hitting my kid multiple times with a hard pillow (not for fun, but out of anger) * An older child also bullied another kid for being autistic * Older kids consistently talk inappropriately including sexual conversations, swearing, and various slurs. * A student also exposed themselves to my kid and when my child asked them to stop and tried to leave the area they chased them * When this was brought to the staffs attention by my child they had a sit down with my kid and the kid that exposed themselves. The kid who exposed themselves ended up walking away from the meeting. * We (the parents) were NOT contacted about the above issue and had to learn about it through our child. I was initially very excited about this school even though family members had reservations about my child going to a school that is structured in the way Clearwater is (no teachers, no classrooms, independence in learning). I still believe this structure can be very beneficial to kids, but the staff at this school do not seem to have good ideas on how to handle conflicts and the current ideas in place support bullying rather than victims. There is also a severe lack of transparency to the parents when issues arise, which I found especially troubling. I ended up being out a lot of money (a fifth of the whole years tuition cost), but even though it was an expensive lesson, I know I made the right choice.
Sep 9th, 2023

No parental oversight at all. Meaning they are simply missing and aren't aware of anything that goes on in the school. Bullying can prevail and no one bats an eye. That's unacceptable to me. The adults seem disinterested in the children entirely. This place misses the beauty of the Sudbury method completely.
Jan 19th, 2019

Jan 27th, 2018

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!
Jan 26th, 2018

What are the goals of education? The ability to listen to and share contradictory ideas and debate multiple sides of issues. The ability to interact with people of all ages and backgrounds with interest, respect, intelligence, and compassion. The ability to enter a new environment and assess its culture, norms and expectations. The ability to figure out how to study what matters to yourself.These are the hallmarks of a Clearwater education as I have seen them play out in three different kids in my family (as well as the dozens of kids I've watched grow up alongside them).My son and nephew both graduated Clearwater after spending their entire K-12 education steeped in responsibility for their own lives and their community, interpersonal communications across age groups, freedom to choose their own paths, democracy, creativity, and conversation. My daughter will be there for a couple more years (depending on what graduation year she herself chooses) and she couldn't be happier or more fulfilled. When I tell adults about Clearwater, most of them ponder what their lives would have been like had they grown up learning skills like these students instead of the relentless focus on the 3 R's -- all of which the kids I know pick up at will when they are ready.
Jan 10th, 2018