Scott Valley Farm School is rooted in the foundation of student-centered learning, which honors the teacher-child relationship as well as the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of children, allowing growth to freely unfold at each child’s own pace. Through creative activities, our children are able to use imagination and critical thinking to create new and meaningful connections.

Farm School’s mission is to nurture the development of curious, creative and compassionate children while honoring and strengthening deep-rooted connections to community, nature and the environment.

Farm School is building a model for a new type of school - one that emphasizes connection with each other, with community, and with the natural world.

Farm School is a unique concept: an elementary co-op school situated on a working farm. Rather than spending a few minutes per day outside, at Farm School children spend the majority of their time outdoors. Children are immersed in hands-on learning inspired by the natural world, and guided by teachers to achieve learning targets based on elementary education standards.

This is where gathering and dissecting seed pods becomes a lesson in understanding an ecosystem, and playing farm stand becomes a lesson in mathematics. This approach to interconnected learning fosters an early understanding and appreciation that children are part of the natural world, not separate from it.