Verdi EcoSchool

1851 Highland Avenue

Melbourne, FL 32935

25 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 13, 2024

To say Verdi EcoSchool has been a wonderful experience for our daughter is an understatement. Since attending, she went from dreading school (in her previous school), to enjoying it so much that she doesn’t want to even have a summer break. In addition to her excitement, she is thriving academically, doing above grade level math and excelling in reading and writing. This school is unique in that it offers a majority of time outside, learning practical skills like gardening and sewing, in addition to typical curriculum. Every quarter the children do a project, and each presentation has blown me away. We also love the community aspect of the school, and have met some great families who are all aligned in wanting to help foster the best learning environment for their children. It really feels like a school family, and I truly believe we all get what we put into it. I have noticed previous reviews commenting on academics, etc, and I have to say that that is not what we’ve experienced this year as a new family. I know they have made a lot of positive changes this year, so if you align with the school’s mission, want your child to learn and grow in a healthy outdoor environment, and value community - definitely check them out. “Everyone there is really nice, really fun, and the school is amazing - and they literally go camping for an orientation … what can you see from that???? It’s an AMAZING school!” - my 7 year old daughter
Submitted by parent on November 10, 2023

Students are learning and growing here. 10/10!
Submitted by other on June 08, 2023

There are not enough schools that get our kids immersed in their community and environment. This is the perfect school for helping to foster a child's creativity, spatial awareness and build critical thinking and survival skills.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2023

The Verdi EcoSchool is an extremely unique place. It asks that the entire community: (Students, educators, administration and family members) are to be involved in the students learning on a daily basis. This is challenging to say the least. Each year, administration searches for educators that are willing to put in the work to create individualized learning plans for each child. They ask the educators to get to know each student individually FIRST ( the first 6 weeks of school) and to THEN craft their learning experiences for the entire year that are project based and place based, meaning that the project has an impact locally. Educators sign on saying that they are willing to do that work, until they get into the year and see that it is a lot harder than just following a curriculum. That's because they are MAKING the curriculum. Educators have shared that they get burned out due to the complexity of that process, yet the school has an educator to student ratio of 17 (full and part time) educators to 40 students. That being said, there are some incredible educators at the Verdi EcoSchool who have taught my children not WHAT to learn, but the LOVE for learning. My children went from "not learning"- academically being behind most of their peers to finding a LOVE for learning that has propelled them well above their peers in social emotional learning, reading, science and math. My children can give a presentation about what they have learned in front of a large room of people and answer any questions you might have about the topic. They work on teams where they don't necessarily agree and sometimes that is met with failure. Failure is OK only if you learn from it. As a parent in this school please know that previous reviewers (parent or staff) that didn't love the school, did so because they were NOT honest with themselves and decided to put themselves before the students / children they were asked to educate and keep safe. Your family should apply to Verdi EcoSchool if: You want your child to take charge of their learning. You want your child to learn in a safe, loving environment. You want your child to be supported. You want to be a part of your child's learning experience. You understand that this is a small not for profit school. Resources: monetary or otherwise are always limited. You understand that in order to achieve those things it will mean that you will be asked to participate, and in some cases, facilitate resources for your child.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2023

This school has a wonderful mission behind it, to provide an alternative school setting where children come first, are appreciated for their uniqueness and learning happens outside. What’s horrible is that the school does not have the adequate resources to provide a quality service to the kids, families and educators that are part of it. Once the veil of the happy go lucky inclusive school is taken away, huge disappointment follows and in turn, major turnover. This year alone there has been at least three full time educators who have left and about 70% of families are choosing not to return. It’s apparent that the amazing educators are burnt out and miserable, all but one full time staff is choosing to leave this place. That is telling. You can tell the emotional and physical well-being of staff is completed disregarded. Our children are very behind in academics, but at least they are accepting of others differences. Not worth it. Find another accredited school, or homeschool.
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2022

I love that the school uses the approach of conscious discipline. The belief that students do well when they can is witnessed daily. The educators are meeting needs, teaching lifelong regulation skills, and communication skills. Academics come along side those needs and you can see the children excited to learn. My spirited and energetic kid is allowed to move around when his mind and body need it, instead of punished for being unable to meet the expectations that other schools have. He excels in math, science, and language arts here. This school is led by students, families and educators.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2022

This school was destructive for my whole family. We upended our lives to join the EcoSchool with high hopes for a great alternative education experience, and it was a big disappointment. We are still recovering.The school claims to teach conscious discipline, social skills, and project based learning. But it lacks the stability to do any of these things effectively. Teachers and families do not stay once they see how erratic the programs are.
Submitted by parent on October 12, 2022

Trying to heal from the trauma caused by our school experience here. High turnover of teachers and families.
Submitted by other on October 08, 2022

There is no other school quite like Verdi in Brevard county! A wonderful place to deepen your child's connection to nature, explore hands on project based learning and develop critical social emotional skills.
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2021

We are so thankful we found the Verdi Ecoschool. The teachers are super dedicated and creative. The kids enjoy learning all day, mostly outdoors during the pandemic. The teachers differentiate every lesson throughout the day, and lead a kind classroom community. The parents are committed to the school and involved in its operation. My child loves to go to school every day and is learning a ton.
Submitted by parent on July 16, 2020

Families can actively help shape the school, be involved in education, campus design etc.
Submitted by parent on October 12, 2019

The absolute best project based learning environment
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2019

This is not a traditional school environment. Kids aren’t sitting behind desks working on standards and being tested on all of their knowledge. Teachers work with families to determine where a child’s greatest need is and they focus their learning plan on that. Parents looking for a skill and drill type environment won’t be happy here. If you are looking for a real community with opportunities to get involved and have a say in your kids learning this is the place.
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2019

Parents are the leaders at this school. We are asked to contribute, participate and collaborate. I’m grateful for EcoSchool.
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2019

In the words of my children "I wish we never would have gone there, they taught me nothing". The struggle I've seen since we left has been heartbreaking. They need to take a good long look in the mirror and make sure they truly understand what they're doing to these children.
Submitted by teacher on August 17, 2019

I am an educator at Verdi EcoSchool and both of my children attend. This is my 14th year in education and I am very excited to be a part of this unique and special place. Students are treated with dignity and respect and are taught social/emotional skills from the very beginning. As an educator, I am able to create dynamic and exciting curriculum. As a parent, I know my children are being cared for by loving and empathetic educators. I also have a voice in my children's education. It's truly a win/win for our family!
Submitted by principal on August 13, 2019

As a very small school (fewer than 50 families make up our entire school community) it is devastating when the time comes to say goodbye to a family. We consider everyone who joins EcoSchool to be part of an extended family - a School Family - and we commit to honoring the journey of each individual with love and kindness. Because our school is so small it can be relatively simple to discern the identity of an individual when they are hurting and choose to vent on a public forum like Great Schools - which is a valuable resource for families hoping to learn more about a potential educational environment for their children. We recently made a collective decision, as a School Family, to say goodbye to a family with two beautiful, bright and insightful children. These children brought strength, love and light to our school community and we miss them dearly. We wish this family well and hope that they find what they are looking for in their next educational environment.
Submitted by parent on August 11, 2019

horrific. Terrible environment, cursing and swearing, and unprofessional teachers who target kids. DO NOT send your child. Also, almost no learning is going on. Kids fall far behind their grade and the focus is on obscure topics not generally accepted information such as math and English.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2019

The school has some great qualities and really not great qualities. I think if they recognized their deficiencies and really worked to improve it could be a great place but the way it is now it's not worth the price.
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2019

The environment cannot be duplicated, the amount of free play and exploration has been excellent for my child. The focus of social development has been excellent. The program has room for improvement. I would like to see more projects and the opportunity to take home so that the parents can also engage with their child. Would like to see more focus on even the young children actively participating in the garden spaces, in caring for the animal life... gaining experience and responsibility for the "eco-farm school" to gain the sense of accomplishment and joy of growing, and more incorporation of math, science even in the Nature Immersion program. I also hope the school eventually does more to reach out to the families and not simply write an ultimatum requiring them to volunteer. Do more to engage the families that you have welcomed to the school, get to know them, not just ask them to help and be there. There are families who are trying to be engaged, who want to help, but the requests can be sporadic, sudden, and only responded to by a very few. We witness the relationships and receptiveness to those families over others and it makes it a difficult decision for the family as to whether to stay for the benefit of the child; while the school emphasizes the need for family participation... but the parents seem to teeter on a fine wire of "we need you, but we don't need to know you, about you, you don't jive with us, but can you sign up for this?"