What Is the History and Philosophy Behind The Circle School?

The Circle School is an independent, self-directed democratic school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, founded in 1984 and still operating today. Its philosophy rests on four ideas—freedom, responsibility, democracy, and community—and on the belief that children should "live your life now" rather than wait for adulthood to practice real life. It serves roughly 70 to 90 students from age 4½ through about 19 (preschool through high school) and describes itself as similar to Sudbury Valley School and dozens of other self-directed democratic schools.

History: Founded in 1984 and Still Running

The school has operated since 1984, which its website presents as evidence of a "proven" model rather than an experiment. That longevity matters if you're evaluating an alternative school: it means the approach has survived multiple generations of families and, per the site, has counterparts in "something like Sudbury Valley School and dozens of other self-directed democratic schools."

Founder Jim Rietmulder is also the author of When Kids Rule the School: The Power and Promise of Democratic Education, and he continues to write essays on the school's site (recent pieces are dated 2025). So the philosophy isn't just historical—it's actively articulated by the person who built the school.

The Core Philosophy: Freedom, Responsibility, Democracy, Community

The school's stated purpose is "Live Your Life Now." In practice, that translates into a few commitments visible across the site:

• Self-direction. Students decide how to spend their time rather than following a fixed curriculum.
• Shared responsibility. The site describes "happy kids practicing life, community, shared responsibility, and democracy"—students help run the community, not just attend it.
• Democracy as a daily practice. Democracy appears as both a value and a working method, not a civics lesson.
• No conventional classrooms. The 9,000-square-foot building has "no classrooms and no rows of desks." Instead it's built around an art room, science space, playroom, computer lab, library, and cooking kitchen, set on an 8-acre campus with woods, a creek, play fields, and a sledding hill.

The underlying claim is that academics are only part of the point. The school says students "learn not just academics, but also how to navigate their world, how to advocate for themselves, and how to be productive members of a thriving community."

What the Philosophy Looks Like in the School's Own Writing

The blog titles on the site are a useful window into how the school frames its thinking:

A parent testimonial, "Why We Chose The Circle School" by Scott Cooper (Dec 2024), opens with the question the philosophy is meant to answer: "What do we really want for our children?"

Practical Details That Flow From the Philosophy

Because the model is self-directed, some logistics differ from a traditional school:

• Ages served: 4½ through about 19.
• Enrollment size: approximately 70–90 students.
• Campus: 8 acres, minutes from downtown Harrisburg.
• Transportation: the site states free bus service from 12 school districts.
• Cost: the school lists "financial aid for most families" and calls itself affordable, but the page does not state tuition figures—so confirm current costs and aid eligibility directly.
• Enrollment status: the site says it is "NOW ENROLLING for 26/27 School Year."

How to Decide If This Philosophy Fits Your Family

The philosophy is coherent and long-running, but it asks something specific of families: comfort with children directing their own learning and sharing in community governance, rather than following a grade-and-test track. If that matches your values, the next step is to verify the practical side—tuition, aid, bus routes, and a campus visit—since those details aren't fully specified on the page. If you want a conventional curriculum sequence or measurable grade benchmarks, this model is explicitly built as an alternative to that.