Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the Koan School unique?

The Koan School is unique because of our small classes, flexible learning structure, and student-centered curriculum. Koan’s founders and staff are dedicated to helping students learn traditional academic knowledge and skills with regard to situations they will face outside the classroom, both today and in the future. With learning goals in mind, teachers tailor project-based curriculum, with real-world applications, to the interests and strengths of the students in the class. This facilitates a few things: students are learning, they’re enjoying the learning process, and, because of Koan’s dedication to the concept of living consciously as one part of a greater community, Koan School students learn how academic knowledge is used to solve real problems in the world at large. The result is a group of students that have the freedom to be who they are in a safe learning environment; students that have gained confidence in their problem-solving abilities, and will graduate with marketable skills in topics they’re interested in.

What STUDENTS think about Koan School:

They’re comfortable at school. They enjoy the fact that they can learn at their own pace and have fun doing it, while surrounded by friends and teachers that care about their education. They feel like they benefit more from the learning system at Koan as opposed to other schools because it’s nurturing and is uniquely tailored to them.

What PARENTS think about Koan School:

The Koan School is a progressive, nurturing community school that offers individualized education and project-based curriculum focused on teaching the student to apply critical thinking to real world situations by encouraging students to see themselves as part of the global community.

The parents believe that their students will graduate from Koan equipped with two very important tools: confidence in themselves, and a lifelong love of learning.

What TEACHERS think about Koan School:

Koan is a community-minded independent school with a learner-centered approach to education. Its unique method of individualized, project-based learning deliberately makes use of the local and global community as extensions of the classroom, because that’s at the core of what Koan is as an organization.

Koan School is:

  • an alternative to the mainstream public education system, homeschooling, and religiously-affiliated private schools

  • more affordable than other private schools

  • a secular private school that emphasizes tolerance

  • a school with small class sizes, which allows for attentive, individualized learning plans that focus on each student’s strengths and interests

  • a green school, active in teaching and practicing conservation

  • dedicated to teaching students to see themselves as a part of the global community

  • staffed by qualified, compassionate teachers that share a common goal: create a safe, positive environment for learning

Koan School is not:

  • a preparatory school

  • a traditional school, teaching only state mandated test-based curriculum

  • a democratic or free school

  • a co-op