We welcome all students, families, and educators, celebrating their individual uniqueness while holistically educating and nurturing them. We strive to open our doors to opportunity, diversity, equity, and success. By seeking to understand and working collaboratively, we endeavor for everyone to feel a sense of belonging.

Every student has an individualized work plan that guides them to complete follow-up assignments, unfinished work or projects, and works of interests. Students can choose to do work in the order they choose and at a pace they are most comfortable working. Choice is essential for students to take responsibility for their own learning.

All students at Willow Oak learn in mixed-age environments, allowing peer-to-peer learning, a stable classroom culture, and role modeling. Students are able to learn and master skills at their own pace.

We help one another, actively listen to each other, and enjoy our different ways of being. We encourage collaboration rather than competition in the classroom and in our dealings with one another and the broader community. We assume good intentions and strive to resolve conflict in a way that builds peace and trust within our community.

In addition to choosing what to work on, students can choose where and how to work in the classroom; students might choose to work at a table, on the floor, or outdoors and might do their work solo, in a pair, or in a small group.

We make the most of our 17-acre campus with dedicated outdoor learning spaces for each classroom. Students have daily access to outdoor play on our playgrounds and fields, as well as time for open-ended exploration in our wooded environments.

We are passionate about building a learning community that recognizes the unique possibilities of every human being. We “follow the child” in the classroom, observing each child's interests and using those interests to engage the child and cultivate a life-long love of learning. 

Our staff members take excellent care of our students in partnership with their parents. Our Board takes care of our faculty through a balance of meaningful professional development, compensation, and benefits. Our students and families take care of one another and our faculty in a spirit of caring and mutual respect.

We recognize that we are connected to one another, the Earth, and the global community. We are committed to making choices that reflect our shared commitment to living in harmony with others and our environment.

All students have weekly music and visual arts instruction. In addition, we seek the expertise of local musicians, artists, authors, actors, and craftspeople to work with students on arts immersion programs.

We seek to form partnerships with parents and guardians with regular two-way communication to support students’ academic and social development. We provide regular opportunities for parent education as well as chances for parents to join their students in the classroom, on field trips, or on school grounds to observe, work, or volunteer.