The Clearwater School

The Clearwater School is a Democratic Free School for youth ages 4-19 years old in the greater Seattle area. 

What is a Democratic Free School?

No homework, no tests, and no grades.

Democratic: At The Clearwater School children are more than students, they are School Meeting Members. School Meeting handles everything from determining school rules and budget requests to approving visitors and planning field trips. Every student’s voice has an opportunity to be heard and impact the school. All of our procedures and policies are thanks to the work of School Meeting.

Free: Without mandatory classes, students have freedom to pursue their interests and passions on their own terms. This includes the freedom to make mistakes, to play all day, to interact with students of all ages, and so much more! The options are limitless. Sounds too good to be true? There is only one caveat; you can't interfere with another person's freedom.

School: We define school as a community that supports each other as they learn and grow. At Clearwater you won't see traditional classrooms, desks, or teachers. Learning happens everyday through exploration, conversation, play, trial & error, and the unexpected. Our community supports each other through School Meeting and the Judicial Committee as well as through more organic moments that happen each and every day.