Part-Time Enrollment for UNSCHOOLers or HOMESCHOOLers
We offer a part-time 2-3 day/week enrollment option priced at $5,940 and a 4 day/week enrollment option priced at $9,476 (4 day/week is the same as the 5 day/week price) for the 2025-2026 School Year. Designed for homeschooling/unschooling students, the part-time option is an exciting opportunity to be an active and responsible member of the Saint Louis Sudbury School community, enjoy flexible learning experiences and Self-Directed Education, practice independence, and participate in social interactions with young people ages 8 to 18, all while still being an unschooler or homeschooler on other days of the week.
If you are considering this option for your family, here are some FAQs that you might find helpful. Please reach out to us at info@stlsudbury.org with any questions or to schedule a tour.
I’m homeschooling/unschooling my child currently and am interested in more opportunities for them to socialize. Does Saint Louis Sudbury School offer that?
When parents ask us about socialization at our school, we often ask them, “What does that mean for you?” and “Is socialization the reason why your child wants to be at Saint Louis Sudbury School?” Consider your answers to these questions. We would love to hear your responses!
We like to use the phrase socializing instead of socialization. When you socialize, you are taking an active role in being with other people.
Unlike conventional schools where the number of minutes allowed for socializing is small (e.g. passing time in the halls and during a very short lunch period), at Saint Louis Sudbury School students have the majority of their day to interact with each other. Socializing opportunities at Sudbury may include: learning how to get along with others, advocating for friends, explaining a proposal or idea to people, figuring out how to coexist with people they are not a natural fit with, asking each other questions, sharing resources and ideas, leading and facilitating fun and challenging conversations, navigating conflict resolution, discovering how to balance personal needs with what benefits the community, figuring out different ways people experience the world, respecting neurodiversity and questioning neuronormative expectations, and collaborating with others to help grow our school.
Socializing is important for everyone (including adults!) and happens every day at our school. The students who begin to feel more at ease with socializing fairly quickly at Sudbury often:
Find such a goal personally meaningful for them
Are interested in learning about different ways and approaches to being with others and communicating
See themselves as an integral part and contributor to our vibrant community.
If my child isn’t at school every day, do they somehow miss out on important experiences?
Any amount of regular time and experience at Saint Louis Sudbury School can be valuable to a family. When students are part-time, they can sometimes miss special activities, field trips, prompt Restoration Committee meetings (collaborative conflict problem solving sessions), announcements and discussions about rule or policy changes, leading committees, being a part of long-term projects, and voting on motions. But for some of our part-time students, they have learned to ask questions in School Meeting about schedules and/or connect with staff and other students so that they can plan ahead and miss fewer meetings or activities. Part-time students are also welcome to bring Sudbury projects home with them and work on them outside of school (not required or expected).
In addition, we have some optional strategies in place to help part-time students feel more acclimated to Sudbury:
Weekly check-in meetings with staff
Meeting notes from School Meeting and our morning Pop-In announcements are printed out daily and placed in a binder for any student to review
The Committee roles that are not available to part-time students are clearly outlined in our election process. Students are also welcome to plan discussions to change committee structures.
Part-time students and their parents are encouraged to attend monthly family hangouts and reach out to other families throughout the year for get togethers
Part-time students and their parents are encouraged to be proactive in staying up to date on scheduled events and activities, ask staff questions, and possibly request attendance changes for a particular week in advance.
If my child isn’t at Sudbury everyday, will it be harder for them to make friends or feel like they belong?
This is largely dependent on the individual and their personality! Sometimes, when part-time students and/or their family arrange for playdates, hangouts, meetups after school or on the weekends, those experiences can help speed up the development of friendships and feeling a part of the community. We also always encourage students and families to ask Sudbury staff questions when things come up instead of waiting a long time (which often makes things harder). We are here for you!
If a part-time student is interested, a full-time student may be available to be a mentor and help answer questions and guide them through the beginnings of a Sudbury experience.
Other suggestions to feel like a member of our community more quickly, Sudbury staff suggests new part-time students bringing in projects, ideas, or activities that they love and sharing them with others; Zoom in for School Meeting or other meetings when you are not at Sudbury (if you choose); and not to be hard on yourself if friendship development is taking a while or you’re feeling a little uncomfortable at times. Being a student at a Self-Directed Education learning community is challenging and incredibly rewarding in the long term.
As a parent, I’m not particularly extroverted and I’m feeling a little worried about navigating a new school community. What can I do to help support my child and get to a place where my entire family feels included at Sudbury?
A large portion of our student body is neurodivergent and many of them have one or more parents who are as well. Plus, many of us are introverts. Those components PLUS putting yourself out there as a parent who is not following “standard” societal norms or expectations of your child’s educational plans adds up to a lot of required mental bandwidth, time, and energy. We get it. Here are some suggestions:
Your comfort level and/or openness to learning about Saint Louis Sudbury School and the Sudbury school model is one of the most supportive ways you can help your child. Ask Sudbury staff for recommended reading and podcasts.
Schedule a family or parent check-in meeting with Sudbury staff once a month or a few times a year (in-person or virtual). This is your time to ask questions and share.
Attend some of our family meetups and stay as long as you like
If you would like recommendations on Sudbury families to connect with, feel free to ask staff members.
Trust and respect your child’s time at Sudbury.
If you are comfortable, share your preferences and needs with others at Sudbury gatherings or meetings. At Sudbury, we encourage our students and staff to be clear, honest, and open about their needs! For example, on a parent Zoom call, one parent told a Sudbury staff member at the beginning of the chat that he might stand up a few times during the conversation and would likely not be looking directly at his laptop camera the whole time. Another time, a mom sat to the side of the larger group at a Sudbury party. A staff member checked on her and she said that she preferred to be close but not too close, and was enjoying herself. At Sudbury, we respect and celebrate each other for trusting themselves.
What if my child wants to change to the 4-5 day/week option?
We’re excited to hear that your child is enjoying their Sudbury experience! Please let a Sudbury staff member know and we can talk about how that transition might work.
Can I drop off my child any 2, 3, or 4 days of the week?
When you enroll, you will be asked to select the days that your child will regularly attend. Those scheduled days will be in effect for the entire school year. There is some flexibility if certain activities or field trips occur on days that your child isn’t regularly scheduled to attend—your child can request a temporary change to their schedule by bringing it up in School Meeting.
