Welcome to FreedomHill Cooperative’s website. Through our words and pictures we hope you will gain an understanding of what we offer. FreedomHill is dedicated to creating a community for children ages 5 – 18 that encourages intellectual and personal freedom.

An important note about the word freedom: by using it we do not mean “abandon” or “irresponsibility” as it has sometimes been misused; instead, we mean that one is free to explore the world at one’s own pace, in one’s own way, always balancing individual needs with those of the community. Children in our program learn to think for themselves as they unearth knowledge through various methods, including exploring in nature and using technology. Through self-initiated activities, students discover the basics, direct their own lives, learn to take responsibility for themselves and the group, set priorities, allocate resources, and work with others to create a vibrant and welcoming community.

FreedomHill is grounded in the belief that people are curious by nature and thus the most efficient, lasting and profound learning takes place when it is started and pursued by the learner. FreedomHill believes that all people are creative if they are given the liberty to develop their distinctive talents, that age-mixing among children and adults promotes growth in ways not common in traditional single-aged programs, and that freedom is the key in developing personal responsibility.  FreedomHill also believes that each person seeks to lead a meaningful life but what is meaningful is to be determined, defined and owned by each individual. Trust and respect are the keys to our success.

Participatory Democracy

At the heart of our program is a participatory democracy. We know from experience that freedom and democracy go hand in hand; it is our democratic processes that make independence successful. In a participatory democracy the youngest students have equal vote and ability to participate in the community decision making as any adult.  This provides real-life experience in dealing with the complexities of our world in the 21st century and beyond.

We invite you to take a closer look and find out more about self-directed learning and democratic education. How do we know that freedom and democracy combine to make a successful curriculum? From the paths that graduates of this type of environment take.  Studies of children from these kinds of programs show that they do very well facing the challenges of life, whether they pursue a college degree, start a business, or travel the world. It is well documented that these children grow up to lead, by their own accounts, happy and satisfying lives. As a yardstick for success, what more can one ask for?