Brooklyn Free School
The Brooklyn Free School is a private, ungraded, democratic free school in Brooklyn, founded in 2004. Students range in age from 4 to 18 years old. The school follows the noncoercive philosophy of the 1960s/70s free school movement schools, which encourages self-directed learning and protects child freedom of activity. There are no grades, no tests, no homework, and classes are non-compulsory. In 2015, the school enrolls 80 students and has about 24 graduates.
| Brooklyn Free School | |
|---|---|
First day of school, 2014 | |
| Location | |
| , New York United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°41′13.5″N 73°58′4.9″W |
| Information | |
| School type | Private ungraded elementary and secondary democratic free school |
| Motto | “Where children are free to be themselves” |
| Established | 2004 |
| Founder | Alan Berger |
| NCES School ID | A0701595 |
| Director | Noleca Radway |
| Faculty | 8 (2014) |
| Grades | Ungraded (ages 4 to 18) |
| Enrollment | 80 (2015) |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Affiliation | Nonsectarian |
| Website | brooklynfreeschool |
The school was the first free school in New York City since 1975. It started in a rented portion of a Park Slope Methodist church, and then moved to a brownstone in Fort Greene, and then was living in the Brooklyn Public Library, And shortly after moved to a place called "Major Owens Center" and then moved to Restoration Plaza, on Fulton Street. Students participate in the design of classes and in the school's governance, which is done at a weekly Democratic Meeting. Staff and students all have equal votes. The school is funded through sliding-scale tuition, grants, and donations. In 2012, Lucas Kavner of The Huffington Post called the Brooklyn Free School "arguably New York's most radical center of learning".