Spring Valley School

2109 Nebraska Avenue

Palm Harbor, FL 34683

9 Reviews

School District
Grade

n/a
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 30, 2022

We love this school! All of our school aged children attend here. We started with our oldest about 8 years ago and the rest have followed. They are each individuals and this school has been a perfect fit for all of them. We love that our children have freedom to choose what their days look like and also have the power and responsibility to be a part of changes when they feel they are necessary. The staff really care about each and every one of our kids and have helped them through some individual adjustments over the years. All of the other students and families have also been wonderful and we are glad to have our kids surrounded by a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and personalities. When we were looking for a school all of those years ago, we wrote down a list of traits and skills we hoped for our children some day when they grew up and left our house. You know...the really important stuff. We felt this was the best place to learn those things and be exposed to the stuff that would best prepare them for life away from us in the future. As we watch our children learn and grow, we can’t imagine a different school environment for them. We are so proud of the people they are and we will continue to trust their paths as they navigate this world. Thank you Spring Valley School for being a fun and safe place for them to do just that!
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2022

Spring Valley is an awesome school with a great philosophy. My son loves to learn and has always seeked out information on his own. Standard education was starting to stifle his passion to learn and his creativity. I was not willing to let that light dim out in my son, so we seeked out a different path for him. Sending him to Spring Valley, I believe, has given him a whole new future!My son is learning more at this school than he could ever possibly learn with standardized education. His options are limitless and there are no boxes to confine his mind to.He is also learning about living in a society which is something that can't be taught in a classroom. It must be experienced with active participation. We are beyond happy with this school. The staff is wonderful and the kids are incredible!My son is so proud to be a Spring Valley School student!
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2022

Great Faculty and great leadership! This is a place we can send our child to receive loving help to develop life skills, without fear of bullying and favoritism.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2022

The school has been a godsend for our family, integrating my son into schools on many occasions it was very cumbersome and at times downright frightening, Spring Valley school excepted my son and has given my son a sense of purpose and relevance that he’s never had before. The staff is amazing and the students all embrace each other and get along so very well. I love the schools and what it does for my son and my family. The school Gives me peace of mind and comfort every day I bring him there
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2022

When I thought all hope was lost to find a loving environment for my child to learn at his pace, I found this hidden gem of a school!! This school has changed our whole family’s lives; most of my son! He has never felt as if he belonged anywhere in the outside world. SPVS has taught him responsibilities, respect, accountability, caring love, the list goes on…It’s the important thing’s traditional schools don’t teach in an excepting environment. Bringing my son to this school has been one of the greatest decisions I have made for his future. Our family is incredibly blessed and grateful!!
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2022

How a Sudbury School can change your life forever - Spring Valley Sudbury Schoolfortable and fear-provoking.But it’s a real thing.Spring Valley School is a Sudbury school in Palm Harbor, FL, and thrives on this democratic nature of a student-run school.“My daughter has grown so much,” said Eyal Gamili Holtzeker, a dad at Spring Valley School. “Initially it was a leap of faith, learning to trust my daughter to make good decisions.”And she makes lots of good decisions. And some bad ones.“That’s where some of the deepest learning comes in,” said Diane Eckelkamp Ballou, one of the school’s founders. “Students grow tremendously through their mistakes.”The school even has a process for self-governing. They have a judicial committee that meets almost daily, where students and staff review “write-ups” that the students submit when a classmate breaks a rule or fails to act safely or respectfully.And all the students have a voice. They express publicly and learn to defend their positions, whether it’s a simple disagreement or something more elaborate.A four-year-old can “write up” a teenager and have his or her voice heard. Parents and students say it’s tremendously empowering. Students work out their issues without fear of disturbing a power structure. Everyone has an equal vote.Sudbury students learn reading and math and science and even go to college if they choose. They learn the way humans do naturally, not in rows and in silence, or in submission to authority. It’s an interactive community based on natural learning and trust.“It is so special,” said Holtzeker. “We all have this innate ability to learn and grow if we can trust ourselves and be trusted.”
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2022

My 2 daughters (11, 9) have been at Spring Valley for 2 years now, after previously spending all their time at a well-regarded public school in California. The difference I've seen in them is remarkable. At their old school we felt like we were constantly swimming upstream. Getting them up for school was a drag. Making lunch was a drag. Making sure they’d done their homework was a drag. Getting them to school on time was a drag. Bullying and highly disruptive kids was an issue. Every day was stressful and full of tension.Then COVID shutdown the schools and we started doing home/Zoom school. It quickly became apparent to us that we were swimming upstream for little benefit! They hadn’t truly learned much to start with, and the things they did learn were quickly forgotten!Everything has turned around at SVS. Our kids *can’t wait* to get to school. They get up, make their own lunches, have no mandatory homework and always want to stay at school as long as possible. The other kids are very respectful of each other and bullying is not at all an issue.That doesn’t mean that every day is easy for them! The school puts great emphasis on personal responsibility. Each day presents them with many challenges, and although they love going to school and greatly appreciate the freedom they have there, they are often wiped out when they come home.Most importantly, they’re really coming into their own as individuals. The school’s design allows them lots of time to find out who they really are and what their own personal values are. They’re forced every day to make decisions for themselves and live with the consequences. I have no doubt that they’ll have a strong sense of what they want to do with their life by the time they graduate. If they’d stayed on the traditional path, I’d expect they would still be waiting for everyone else to give them the answers.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2018

I have 3 children who attended Spring Valley School, two have graduated and 1 continues to attend. I couldn't be happier as a parent to see how confident, self-aware and empowered all 3 of my children are.
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2017

Not a good experience, would not recommend. Favoritism is an issue with teachers.