Admissions

To schedule a visit, please reserve a time on our Events page. 

Interested families can begin the enrollment process by completing our Application Form.

Steps to joining our community are detailed in the “Enrollment Process” tab below.

Before you begin the enrollment process, we encourage you to learn as much as possible about self-directed education. Please review our Frequently Asked Questions and Resources page, and contact us with any further questions.

At this time we are enrolling students aged 12 – 17.

Santa Barbara Free School is open from 10am to 4pm, Monday through Friday, from September to June.  

Students are required to attend Monday through Thursday from 10-4, with the option of early release for activities. Fridays are optional “Field Trip Fridays” where students may elect to plan a whole-school excursion.

An important exception to the attendance policy is an outside activity that has been endorsed by the School Meeting– if there’s an activity that a student wants to pursue off-campus such as classes, sports, apprenticeships, employment, etc, we ask that they petition the School Meeting to have those activities count towards their attendance requirement. 

Outside activities are encouraged; asking the School Meeting to endorse those activities is about acknowledging the personal responsibility every member has to the community. 

Annual Tuition Levels:

Financial Assistance: democratic education is within everyone’s reach.

No one is turned away for lack of funds. In fact, 85% of SB Free families qualify for reduced tuition under our sliding-scale policy. We are committed to making self-directed education accessible to all. Please see “Tuition Assistance” below for more information. 

Optional: Visit us!

Families may schedule a time to visit the school by signing up for a time on our Events Page. This can be a great way to get introduced to the students and faculty, immerse in the flow of school activities, sit in on democratic meetings, and envision joining our community.

Step 1: Interview 

Families initiate the interview process by submitting the Application Form. SB Free will then contact the family to schedule the interview.  The interview is an opportunity for families to ask questions and for us to provide an in-depth description of the educational philosophy. We ask that all parents or guardians attend the interview along with the prospective students.

Step 2: Offers of Enrollment

Prospective students are offered membership at the school. Offers are based on student readiness, family compatibility with our educational philosophy and membership commitments, as well as the space and resources we have available to new applicants. 

Once an Offer of Enrollment has been received, families are invited to enroll. Families wishing to enroll will complete the Enrollment Contract and other forms, which are available through the Parent Portal. Enrollment is secured with the submission of the first tuition payment.

Congratulations and welcome to the Santa Barbara Free School! 

Santa Barbara Free School is committed to making attendance possible for all those who want to enroll. To do so, we employ an indexed sliding-scale, or “pay-what-you-can-afford” tuition policy. 

Please fill out the “Tuition Assistance” section of Application Form to be considered.

Tuition Assistance is vital to upholding our values of equity, inclusion, and representing our whole community. If you are in a position to contribute to our Scholarship Fund, please visit our Giving Page to see how your resources can make SB Free and democratic education more accessible to all. 

Santa Barbara Free School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, national or ethnic origin in its admissions process, educational policies or school-administered programs.