Three Rivers Village School

Last updated

Three Rivers Village School
Location
Three Rivers Village School
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

United States
Coordinates 40°24′26″N79°56′31″W / 40.40722°N 79.94194°W / 40.40722; -79.94194
Information
Established2013
GradesK-12
Number of students35
Campus type Urban
Tuition$14,000 per year
Philosophy Democratic education
Website threeriversvillageschool.org

Three Rivers Village School is the first democratic school in Pittsburgh. It operates on the Sudbury school model of democratic education. Three Rivers Village School opened in the Fall of 2013 and accepts students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. It is a tuition-based private school that offers a sliding scale tuition rate. [1] [ non-primary source needed ] As of 2025, it has around 35 students. [2]

Contents

Three Rivers Village School emphasizes personal responsibility, innate thoughtfulness, and trust in the judgment of its students and strives to foster a community of equals governed by democratic values, instead of the hierarchy, standardized testing, and arbitrary rule following enforced in the traditional schooling model.[ citation needed ]

Curriculum

The students at Three Rivers Village School are free to spend their time during each school day in whatever way they wish, as long as they adhere to the rules defined by the School Meeting. Resources available to the students include books, computers, musical instruments, a kitchen, art supplies, toys, outdoor space, off-site field trips, as well as the knowledge and experience of staff and other students. Every member of the school, staff and students alike, has an equal voice at the weekly School Meeting, where the day-to-day operations of the school are determined.

School rules, created by the School Meeting, are compiled into a rule book that is enforced by the Justice Committee. Every member of the school participates in Justice Committee, which is a daily meeting of students and staff. All decisions about rule making, discipline, suspensions, expulsions, etc. are made democratically, with each member of the school having an equal vote.

History

Three Rivers Village School opened in fall of 2013 in the Stanton Heights neighborhood. The school was founded by a group of parents and teachers including Evan Mallory [3] and Jean Marie Pearce. [4] After two years of operation, the school moved in 2015 from its original Stanton Heights location to the former St. Stephen's School building in the Hazelwood section of the city. [5] [ non-primary source needed ]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tuition & Financial Aid" . Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Three Rivers Village School (2025-26 Profile) - Pittsburgh, PA". Private School Review. October 25, 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ Zlatos, Bill (May 23, 2013). "Competitors offer tips to Stanton Heights school startup". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  4. ↑ King, Amanda (April 2, 2013). "Democratic schools: A different perspective on education, but effective?". Voxxi . Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  5. ↑ "FAQ | Three Rivers Village School". Three Rivers Village School. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.