The Basics

• Where is the school?
• What are the hours of operation and the school year?
• Who enrolls in Diablo Valley School?
• What are the steps to enrollment?
• What is the tuition?
• Are there any scholarships?
• What is the physical layout of the school?

What are the hours of operation and the school year?

The school is open Monday to Friday from 9:00-5:00   Our school year runs a traditional September-June with summers off.

Who enrolls in Diablo Valley School?

Students ages 5 to 19 who do not require intense supervision and do not have any severe disabilities that the staff is not equipped to handle. DVS admits students of any race, color and national and ethnic origin.

What are the steps to enrollment?

Here are our five steps to enrollment.

1. Call DVS for a brochure or
2. Send in an Interview Request Form ($15 fee) to schedule a family interview during school hours.
3. Sign up for a visiting week for your child ($100).
4. Attend a second family interview (no charge).
5. If all goes well during the visiting week and interviews and everyone agrees that enrollment is appropriate, the enrollment packet can be filled out and returned to DVS. (On occasion, the Admissions Committee may request additional visiting weeks, $100 per week, before enrollment is discussed and/or finalized at the family interview.) Payment of $35 enrollment fee and tuition are enclosed with the enrollment packet. Tuition payment is a prorated figure based on the annual amount and the time of year the student is enrolled. 

An Interview Request Form can be printed using this website. Follow this link.

What is the tuition?

Diablo Valley School has adopted a new tuition structure allowing families to choose between several options. Families may participate in a calculated tuition program wherein the tuition is set per family between $1,500.00 and $7,900.00 based on verified financial data. Families who prefer may opt to pay $7,900.00 per child without participating in the program or may pay a first-year only rate of $4,700.00 per child. The last two options include sibling discounts. Click Here for More Information

Are there any scholarships?

Diablo Valley School does not offer scholarships. We do, however, offer an Alternative Payment Program to families who need help coming up with the full tuition. This program allows families to do work for the school while being credited for their work in place of tuition payment. Call the school for more details. The telephone number is 925-676-2982.

What is the physical layout of the school?

The school is in a house which has been converted into office space. Our building has approximately 2000sq.ft. that has been divided into rooms with varying purposes: the Big Room is for games, music and loud play, the Library is for quiet conversation and studying, the Office is for the administration of duties pertaining to running the school, the Cubby Room is for storing our belongings, the Kitchen and Dining Rooms are for food preparation and eating, the Utility Room stores our hot water heater and washing machines, the Small Room is for quiet games, classes and conversation, the Art Room is for art projects and activities, and the Tech Room is for movies and video games. We also have a small fenced yard for outdoor play.

Staff and Parents

What do the staff do?

The staff fill several roles based on what the students and the school need them to do. They are responsible for the majority of the administrative duties of running a school. They help decide and enforce the rules of the school by actively participating in the School Meeting and the Judicial Meeting. The staff are available to teach a variety of subjects when students request classes. They take students and their interests seriously, and are available to help them throughout the day. There is no staff tenure, and the school meeting votes each year on staff positions and salaries. Information about staff and volunteer opportunities is available.

What are the staff qualifications?

People hired as staff members are extremely familiar with the Sudbury Valley School philosophy and structure. Their love and respect for children is valued above everything else by our community. The application process is lengthy and requires many hours of reading, volunteering and experiencing the realities of life in a democratic school.

What is the student/teacher ratio?

Because the staff is not at school to supervise the students, or tell them what to do, we don't feel that this often used statistic is especially relevant to the Diablo Valley School environment. However, there are usually a minimum of two staff members on campus during school hours. Currently, we have 20 students.

How are the parents involved in the school?

Parents have a place to voice their concerns in the school Assembly, which meets at least once a year to determine broad school policies and approve the annual budget. Family meetings are arranged for newly enrolled students to meet with staff, parents and students on a semi-regular basis during the first six months of enrollment. Staff members are available by appointment to meet with parents to discuss their concerns. The daily school experience is primarily a place for the staff and students to engage in activities that do not involve parent participation. Parents are welcome for brief visits when they pick-up and drop-off their children, but are not allowed on campus for extended visits without prior approval of the School Meeting. Some parents volunteer at the school, subject to approval of the School Meeting. Of course, parents and other family members. Of course, parents and other family members continue to be a vital part of the child's life and continue to be the student's primary community. Staff is also available to meet with parents to discuss concerns.

Structure

How can my child learn if there's no curriculum?

Young people don't need predesigned classes in order to learn. They are natural learners who actively learn all of the time. Instead of a structured curriculum, we offer students a supportive environment in which to learn the way people learn best: by following their interests.

This school might work for children who are self-motivated, but what if my child isn't that inspired?

First of all, we must recognize how our conception of what children should be doing influences our judgment of whether or not they are motivated. For example, if we see our child studying Shakespeare or completing their homework without being asked, it’s easy to say they are self-motivated. But if they love to spend hours on the computer or they are fascinated with motorcycles, horses, reading or paper dolls-yet they hate homework and going to school-are they any less motivated?

All children are self-motivated. They want to become capable, successful adults. And just like “grownups,” they want to be free to choose how they will become successful. At Diablo Valley School, we take this natural desire for self-direction seriously, allowing it to propel them into independent adulthood.

Sometimes young people, particularly those in schools relying on external motivation, do lose touch with the knowledge that the world and all its possibilities are open to them. Diablo Valley also provides an ideal environment for these students to recover their innate inspiration and self-motivation.

But if I let them, won't my kids just play all day and not learn anything?

At Diablo Valley, we have great respect for play. We don’t try to modify it, interfere with it, or quantify it. Play, in all its varied forms, is the ”work” of young people. We do not see play as the opposite of learning, but as children’s main educational mode. It is through play that students learn to concentrate, imagine, and communicate; through play that they learn what their aptitudes and affinities are; and through play that they acquire skills they need to be successful.

Is Diablo Valley School a "free" school?

Unlike the free or open schools of the sixties, Diablo Valley is not an experiment, but is based on Sudbury Valley School’s 30-year tradition of non-coercive education. This model, unlike most free schools, is firmly grounded in American democratic traditions. Students and staff have an equal vote in all matters, from purchasing art supplies to the annual staff elections. School rules apply to all, and are upheld by a joint student/staff judicial committee.

What is a typical day like at your school?

It is difficult to describe a "typical" day because no day is like any other. On any given day students may be involved in many different types of activities: reading a book, playing chase outside, taking a class, doing an art project, talking with other students and staff, playing video games, playing a musical instrument, running corporation meetings, going on field trips, playing games, building with blocks or legos, attending Judicial Meeting, voting on issues in School Meeting or going out for lunch. Mostly, to outsiders, a typical day looks like kids playing or hanging out. But, what is going on for our students is real life.

What is the structure?

DVS has a structure based on democracy instead of academic achievement. DVS actually has more structure than most other schools, so no, it isn't a free-for-all. There are rules passed regarding behavior at school and the functioning of the school, rules about using certain items at the school (i.e. computers and art equipment), corporations formed to regulate usage of specialized school property and to make things happen (i.e. an art corp., computer corp., cooking corp., or science corp.) and a judicial system in place to take care of all rule-infractions. With this structure in place, students have the respect and freedom that they need to carry out whatever activities they see as beneficial to their lives at any given time. At our school all of the School Meeting Members have an equal voice in making and enforcing the rules.

Are there any classes?

Classes are arranged by mutual consent of students and any person whom the students want to teach the class, including staff members, other students, or an outside person skilled in that discipline. Classes are only held by request of a student or group of students who wish to take a class.

How are rules enforced?

There are school rules composed into a school lawbook, voted on and approved by the school meeting in which all students and staff have an equal say and one vote. There is also a Judicial Meeting, composed of students and staff members, that hear and take action on complaints brought before them by members of the community. Attendance at the Judicial Meeting is mandatory to ensure that all members of the community receive fair hearings. All rule infractions are dealt with by the Judicial Meeting. Suspension and expulsion for multiple and heinous violations is within the power of the judicial committee to recommend, and the school meeting to carry out.

How are the activities supervised?

All activities are supervised by the School Meeting members taking part in them. As responsible adults, the staff certainly make every effort to stop unsafe behaviors that they witness. However, the students themselves are equally responsible for ensuring their own safety. There are also school rules regarding what is and is not considered safe behavior. If a student or staff member is written up for violating those rules, they are subject to whatever sentence the Judicial Meeting sees fit.

Resources

What resources are available for the students?

We have books, computers, art supplies, sporting equipment, a kitchen, a sewing machine, toys, games and science equipment. The students and staff organize to buy or have donated any materials or physical resources that they want or need. We have the staff and the students as human resources.

How does a student learn an unusual subject?

If a student feels that they need expertise not present in the school community, the staff and student together will work to find an opportunity from the larger community to fulfill those needs. At times bringing in a knowledgeable person to teach a class or arranging for an apprenticeship may be appropriate.

How do the students know their choices?

In today's world, we are all constantly bombarded with possibilities of how we may use our time and things to learn about. Children live in this world as well, and have no trouble at all figuring out what they could choose to spend their time doing. The hard part is narrowing their choices down so that they can choose what they want to spend their time doing at any given time. All activities are accorded equal validity in the school community. As long as the activity does not infringe on the rights of others to pursue their own activities or break other school rules, it is allowed to happen for as long or as short a time as the student desires.

How does the school make sure that the students become well rounded?

We don’t. Some of the most brilliant people in the fields of science, medicine, the arts and business are very focused on their field of specialty and don’t require in-depth knowledge in a wide variety of topics. Exploration of many different subjects is allowed in our school without the constraints of time. When a strong interest is discovered by a student, it may be pursued for a week, a month or all year long. Many students move from one interest to the next and over time return to the initial interest to deepen their knowledge. Our students learn how to concentrate intensely on whatever their passion is, and are given the freedom to pursue that passion for as long or as short a time as they want. Some students simply "play" all day. But, we recognize that through play, children are learning about their world and about how they will relate to their world as young people and as adults. We don't believe that every student needs to be exposed to or taught the same things. Each student is an individual, and the school and staff don't presume to know what or how it is best for the students to learn.

How do the students evaluate their progress?

People evaluate themselves constantly. Students at DVS develop an internal gauge for evaluating their accomplishments. This is achieved by asking for opinions of other school members, or by simply observing the abilities of their peers. At Diablo Valley School, students set their own goals, decide how to reach those goals, and determine when the goals have been sufficiently fulfill

How do the different age groups mix?

Wonderfully. More often than not, when young children need to learn a particular skill - physical, social or otherwise - they best learn that skill from someone who is just slightly older than they are. This is because the older child has probably recently mastered the skill being taught, and thus easily remembers what it was like to learn it, making the older child the ideal teacher. Older students have an opportunity to develop skills similar to mentoring or parenting and to experience the freedom to play in a safe environment free from judgment. The younger children learn many skills from the older ones, and the older ones are reminded how to play and see the world anew from the younger ones as well.

Learning

Many students find conventional schools excessively competitive and dominated by hierarchies based on appearance, social status and gender. It would be highly unusual for a student at DVS to be mistreated because of appearance, interests or personal traits. At Diablo Valley School, there is no competition for grades, teacher approval, cliques or position in a hierarchy. Instead, the atmosphere is one of cooperation and mutual respect.

Active students get into trouble at conventional schools for making noise, running around, and being physical. At DVS, our students have the time and space to do all types of activities, including physically active ones. Students without initiative eventually become bored with mind-numbing activities and seek out real interests to pursue.

Students at the school are free to do anything they find interesting as long as the activities do not infringe on the rights of others or endanger the school. All rules are written and enforced democratically, giving students a sense of ownership over the rules and the school itself. The need to rebel is reduced by the experience of having control over the environment. Respect becomes a natural part of everyday life.

How do the students learn?

All of our students learn to read, write and do math when they feel that it is vital to do so. These skills develop organically, not necessarily through a planned process. We make no judgments about when students are ready to learn; those decisions are left up to the students. The school provides a setting in which knowledge is useful. For example, the written word is everywhere at the school: in books lining the walls, on rules posted for computer and kitchen equipment, and on agendas and minutes relating to the school democracy. Sooner or later, every student recognizes the usefulness of learning to read. All skills are learned in the same fashion.

All of us are learning every day. Every interaction we have with another human being, or object in our environment teaches us something about the world or ourselves that we may not have known before. Recent studies have shown that play is an integral part of the process of learning. Participation in unlimited play allows for a free-flow of thoughts and ideas stimulating the development of higher thinking skills and creativity. Students at Diablo Valley School learn about life in many varied ways – by talking with other children and adults, by taking risks and learning new skills, by participating in a democratic community and by having the time and the space to really get to know themselves.

What about the child who is unmotivated?

Children are naturally curious to learn about the world and how it works. Some children are bored for a period of time, but we allow them to work through that boredom to get in touch with what they really want to do with themselves. Once the external pressures are released and the children learn once again to trust their own judgment, they motivate themselves to do what they need to do at any given time.

My child has been diagnosed with ADD; what about him?

We have fairly strong proof from Sudbury Valley School's almost 30 years of enrolling students labeled with all sorts of learning disabilities that many of these disabilities tend to "disappear" without the coercive nature of regular school. When students are not forced to sit at desks for hours at a time, or forced to participate in activities and lessons about which they may have absolutely no interest, or told when they can eat, etc. ADD tends to not be a relevant diagnosis anymore. These students flourish in an environment where they set their own agenda and take responsibility for using their time the way they see fit.

Don't they only do the easy things?

Did you have to send your child to talking school for her to learn how to talk? Or to walking school for him to learn how to walk? Learning to talk and walk are two of the most difficult skills any of us will take on in our entire lives, and we all, as very young children challenge ourselves to learn those skills. It is a cultural assumption that, when left to their own devices, children are lazy creatures that will only do the bare minimum required of them in order to survive. We have a different view. Children naturally want to do the job that they began when they were born, that of growing up into adults. They challenge themselves and take risks everyday, including learning the most difficult tasks, in order to get on with their job in life - growing up to be adults.

How do they know what to do?

When given the time and the space to decide what they want to do, students look deeply within themselves and discover just what it is that they need to be doing at any given moment. They learn to trust themselves and their own needs, so that they are able to make decisions about their actions throughout the school day. Without the constant barrage of adult agendas placed on them, students learn what it is like to be responsible for knowing themselves and finding out what their individual passions are.

What about graduation?

When students decide they are ready, they apply for graduation. This requires a written and verbal thesis defending the statement “I am ready to be a responsible adult in the community at large.” The Assembly meets each spring at a special meeting to hear the theses presented by the graduating students. Discussion ensues after the presentations and each student’s graduation is voted on by the attending Assembly Members in a private ballot.

How do they get a job or get into college?.

DVS students may choose several paths to get into college or the workforce, depending on what their personal goals are upon graduation. All California students age 16 and older may take a proficiency exam, which is equivalent to a high school diploma. Students may also take the GED at the age of 18.

Many students begin working before they graduate. A valuable employee is someone who is capable of learning a new skill and be responsible on the job. Our students develop these attributes naturally by attending our school.

If college is the goal, students may need to take the SAT in order to apply. There are many SAT preparation materials on the market; students often enjoy working in groups to prepare for SAT, GED or high school proficiency exams. When the need arises, staff are available to assist students in studying for these exams. Students in California are not required to have a high school diploma in order to enter the community college system. Many students choose to attend community college and then transfer to the four-year higher education institution of their choice. Of students from Sudbury Valley School who apply to college (80% of their graduates go on to higher education), 89% get into the college which is their first choice (Legacy of Trust, SVS Press, 1992). We expect that if our students wish to do so, they will have no trouble getting into the college of their choice.

How do you know this type of education works?

Sudbury Valley School has been operating continuously since it opened in 1968. They are currently expanding their site and have over 200 students with a long waiting list. There are more than twenty other schools following the Sudbury model throughout the world, some open for more than ten years. Students in this type of school are generally very relaxed, happy, confident and responsible while pursuing their personal goals of education.