About Us

Mission Statement
At Shenandoah Valley Community School we recognize and honor each individual’s intrinsic drive to learn, right to educational freedom, unique gifts, and responsibility to their community. We provide a setting where these traits can develop through noncoercive relationships, self-directed exploration, and participation in a democratic community.

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Background
Shenandoah Valley Community School opened in August 2006 as a democratically run, learner-centered private school. We are founded on principles of educational freedom, student autonomy, and community decision-making.

SVCS's philosophy draws upon the educational theories of constructivism, multiple intelligences, intrinsic motivation, and holistic education. SVCS's practices are modeled in part after other learner-centered, democratic schools, including the Summerhill School in England (founded in 1921) and the Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, MA (founded in 1968).
Read more about our philosophy. . .

Looking at rock

Days at school
After hearing about our educational philosophy, many people ask, "What do students do at school all day?" The answer to that question varies by day and by student, but some frequent activities include drawing, writing, building with blocks, playing outdoors, reading or being read to, and dramatic/imaginary play. We have a morning meeting each day with a time for announcements and discussion items. The meeting is the forum for all decisions, proposals, and rule-making at SVCS.
Learn more about our daily life. . . See a snapshot of a day at SVCS. . .

Location
Shenandoah Valley Community School is located at 4101 Rawley Pike in Rockingham County, VA, 4 miles west of the city center of Harrisonburg.
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Staff
Shenandoah Valley Community School is staffed by one full time staff member and volunteers. We have at least two adults present during school hours for safety reasons.
Read more about our staff and volunteers. . .

Admissions
We are currently accepting applications for students ages 5-12 for the 2010-2011 school year. Students wishing to enroll in SVCS complete the school's Application for Admission. Students are accepted on the basis of early registration. Our current enrollment is limited to 20 students.
Learn more about admission. . .