Pond Brook School

At a glance

For an in-depth look at Pond Brook curriculum and semester cycles, view the links below.

Curriculum Description

Semester Cycles

FAQ

OVERVIEW

Pond Brook Project is an approved independent school pursuant to 16 V.S.A. § 166 (b).

Embedded in the natural and human communities of Vermont, the Pond Brook Project inspires adolescent learners to cultivate their relationship to self, society, and the natural world.

During each semester at Pond Brook, 12 to 15-year-old students embark on different interdisciplinary explorations of science, society, mathematics, culture, art, literacy, technology and health through the lens of the Vermont landscape. Students spend much of their time in hands-on engagement with the natural world as well as in a variety of creative projects, problem-solving challenges, community service and team building activities. Classes take place around a fire, in woodland yurts, in repurposed school buses, in libraries, on town greens, or around a table in the woods. We see our niche as the space between the individual and society and between humans and the rest of the natural world.

Early adolescence is a time of changing priorities and allegiances; of developing social consciousness and the ability for abstract thought; and of some amount of emotional turmoil. At Pond Brook we are committed to honoring this time of life with all of its opportunities and challenges, helping to provide a supportive space to explore and be heard. We engage students in an authentic way, developing a learning community where students have agency and their individual voices build a collective from their own creativity, passions and connection to the world around them.

Pond Brook is committed to actively including and supporting students from traditionally marginalized communities to help fill the opportunity gap for accessing experiential and outdoor programs. We embed diversity, equity, inclusion and justice into all aspects of our program, from recruitment to curriculum and pedagogy to student agency in the co-creation of our community. We are committed to working collaboratively with public school districts in our area. We hope that all students at Pond Brook find a community that cultivates their expression and identity, physical and mental health, sense of belonging, and academic empowerment.  

Pond Brook Project admits students and families of all socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, and disability.

If your child requires assistance to participate fully in our programs please reach out to schedule a call with us.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Once we receive your application, we will email you a registration form to complete enrollment!

Note: Students will be admitted on a first-come first-serve basis and admission is capped at twenty. Students may attend multiple semesters and years.

Please email us at pondbrook@willowell.org if you want more information.

Calendar

The school 2024-2025 calendar will be updated as it becomes available.

Please note: We follow MAUSD’s calendar and guidance for in-service, holidays, and inclement weather closures.

Tuition

Pond Brook is a VT approved middle school and our tuition is based on the average cost paid per student by our state public schools. Students who live in “school choice districts” have their tuition fully paid by their district directly to Willowell Foundation.

We offer scholarships to students who do not live in a “school choice district,” where this public support is not available to cover full tuition costs.

If you reside outside of a school choice district, complete our financial aid application below and we will calculate your family’s tuition. No family or student will be turned away due to lack of full funding. We are committed to every student and family regardless of financial status in accessing our program.

Scholarships

We are working to make the program accessible however we can, including reaching out to public schools for collaboration in making this program a public/private hybrid. We plan on a large fundraising effort to make this program available to anyone who wants to attend, regardless of ability to pay.

If you are need of financial assistance, please complete our online Financial Aid Application.

 Pond Brook Teachers

To learn more about Pond Brook’s awesome team of teachers, click the link to their bios below, or visit our Staff and Board Bios to see who else is on team Willowell.