About the School

At the Philly Free School, students ages 4-19 explore freely, think critically, and work collaboratively, across ages, to govern themselves and their school. Through self-initiated activities, students learn the delicate balance between individual freedom and community responsibility. Along the way, they develop the internal resources to navigate, assess, and utilize the information and tools needed to thrive in modern society.

Every day is different at Philly Free School. With total freedom to direct their own time, it’s rare that students and staff all choose to spend time the same way. Often different areas of the school seem to be on completely separate planets–a silent group of teens type on laptops upstairs while another, louder, group plays hide and go seek in the dark downstairs. 

Despite these differences, there are also constants to their week –School Meeting, Judicial Committee, and Mediation all occur regularly and build routine into our schedule. As well as a whole school clean-up at 3:10 to close out each day.