An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life. ~Author Unknown

About Tallgrass Sudbury School

Tallgrass is one of a number of schools across the country modeled after the original Sudbury Valley School, which has been in operation since 1968. Tallgrass was founded in 2008 and has students from ages 5 to 19. The school is open from 9:00 to 3:30 daily between Labor Day and early June. Tallgrass is located in downtown Riverside, IL, a near southwest suburb of Chicago.  

Sudbury Valley School (SVS), the original Sudbury school located in Framingham, Massachusetts, describes itself as follows: “SVS is a place where people decide for themselves how to spend their days. Here, students of all ages determine what they will do, as well as when, how and where they will do it. This freedom is at the heart of the school; it belongs to the students as their right, not to be violated. The fundamental premises of the school are simple - that all people are curious by nature; that the most efficient, long-lasting, and profound learning takes place when started and pursued by the learner; that all people are creative if they are allowed to develop their unique talents; that age-mixing among students promotes growth in all members of the group; and that freedom is essential to the development of personal responsibility.”

Tallgrass Sudbury School, like SVS, adheres to these ideals.

Practically speaking this means that:

  • Our curriculum is free of coercion, and is defined by daily participation in the school community, which includes free play; access to resources of all kinds; participation in judicial procedures; independent study through play and exploration as well as learning through formal classes; organizing activities and execution of responsibilities through corporations, committees and clerkships; myriad conversations and negotiations; and regularly scheduled as well as spontaneous activities.
  • All ages are mixed together, creating an organic environment similar to a tribe or village.
  • Students share equal responsibility for running their school, including making rules, hiring and firing staff, overseeing the budget and enforcing the rules.